Background and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Background and Basis of Presentation
Background and Basis of Presentation	Note 1Background and Basis of Presentation Background The principal business of AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie or the company) is the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad line of pharmaceutical products. AbbVie’s products are generally sold worldwide directly to wholesalers, distributors, government agencies, health care facilities, specialty pharmacies, and independent retailers from AbbVie-owned distribution centers and public warehouses. Substantially all of AbbVie’s net revenues in the United States are to three wholesalers. Outside the United States, products are sold primarily to customers or through distributors, depending on the market served. AbbVie was incorporated in Delaware on April 10, 2012. On January 1, 2013, AbbVie became an independent, publicly-traded company as a result of the distribution by Abbott Laboratories (Abbott) of 100 percent of the outstanding common stock of AbbVie to Abbott’s shareholders (the separation). In connection with the separation, AbbVie and Abbott entered into transition services agreements covering certain corporate support and back office services that AbbVie historically received from Abbott. Such services included information technology, accounts payable, payroll, receivables collection, treasury, and other financial functions, as well as order entry, warehousing, engineering support, quality assurance support, and other administrative services. These agreements facilitated the separation by allowing AbbVie to operate independently prior to establishing stand-alone back office functions across its organization. The majority of these transition service agreements expired without extension at December 31, 2014; however, some of these services continue to be provided to AbbVie on a temporary basis. With certain limited exceptions, the remaining transition services agreements will terminate on or prior to December 31, 2015. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, AbbVie incurred certain separation-related expenses, which were principally classified in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense in the condensed consolidated statements of earnings. Separation-related expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 were $45 million and $109 million, respectively, and were $244 million and $299 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Basis of Historical Presentation The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of AbbVie have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (U.S. GAAP) have been omitted. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the company’s audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. It is management’s opinion that these financial statements include all normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the company’s financial position and operating results. Net revenues and net earnings for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of future or annual results. For a certain portion of AbbVie’s operations, the legal transfer of AbbVie’s assets (net of liabilities) did not occur with the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013 due to the time required to transfer marketing authorizations and satisfy other regulatory requirements in certain countries. Under the terms of the separation agreement with Abbott, AbbVie is responsible for the business activities conducted by Abbott on its behalf, and is subject to the risks and entitled to the benefits generated by these operations and assets. As a result, the related assets and liabilities and results of operations have been reported in AbbVie’s condensed consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014. Substantially all of these operations were transferred to AbbVie as of September 30, 2015. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Summary and Amendments That Create Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) and Other Assets and Deferred Costs–Contracts with Customers (Subtopic 340-40). The amendments in ASU 2014-09 supersede most current revenue recognition requirements. The core principal of the new guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. AbbVie can apply the amendments using one of the following two methods: (i) retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented, or (ii) retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the amendments recognized at the date of initial application. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-4, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year for all entities. Accordingly, ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is permitted only for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. AbbVie is currently assessing the timing of its adoption and the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and the implementation approach to be used. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The amendments in ASU 2015-03 require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. ASU 2015-03 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted on a retrospective basis. AbbVie elected to adopt ASU 2015-03 early, effective in the three months ended June 30, 2015. As a result, AbbVie reclassified approximately $7 million and $27 million of net deferred financing costs from prepaid expenses and other current assets and other long-term assets, respectively, to a reduction in the carrying amount of its long-term debt as of December 31, 2014. Total debt issuance costs classified as a reduction to long-term debt and lease obligations (current and non-current) were $118 million as of September 30, 2015. In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments. ASU 2015-16 requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. Entities are currently required to retrospectively apply adjustments made to provisional amounts recognized in a business combination. ASU 2015-16 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The guidance is to be applied prospectively to measurement period adjustments that occur after the effective date of the guidance with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. AbbVie elected to adopt ASU 2015-16 early, effective in the three months ended September 30, 2015.

Note 1Background and Basis of Presentation

Background

The principal business of AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie or the company) is the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad line of pharmaceutical products. AbbVie’s products are generally sold worldwide directly to wholesalers, distributors, government agencies, health care facilities, specialty pharmacies, and independent retailers from AbbVie-owned distribution centers and public warehouses. Substantially all of AbbVie’s net revenues in the United States are to three wholesalers. Outside the United States, products are sold primarily to customers or through distributors, depending on the market served.

AbbVie was incorporated in Delaware on April 10, 2012. On January 1, 2013, AbbVie became an independent, publicly-traded company as a result of the distribution by Abbott Laboratories (Abbott) of 100 percent of the outstanding common stock of AbbVie to Abbott’s shareholders (the separation). In connection with the separation, AbbVie and Abbott entered into transition services agreements covering certain corporate support and back office services that AbbVie historically received from Abbott. Such services included information technology, accounts payable, payroll, receivables collection, treasury, and other financial functions, as well as order entry, warehousing, engineering support, quality assurance support, and other administrative services. These agreements facilitated the separation by allowing AbbVie to operate independently prior to establishing stand-alone back office functions across its organization. The majority of these transition service agreements expired without extension at December 31, 2014; however, some of these services continue to be provided to AbbVie on a temporary basis. With certain limited exceptions, the remaining transition services agreements will terminate on or prior to December 31, 2015.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, AbbVie incurred certain separation-related expenses, which were principally classified in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense in the condensed consolidated statements of earnings. Separation-related expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014 were $45 million and $109 million, respectively, and were $244 million and $299 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Basis of Historical Presentation

The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of AbbVie have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (U.S. GAAP) have been omitted. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the company’s audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

It is management’s opinion that these financial statements include all normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the company’s financial position and operating results. Net revenues and net earnings for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of future or annual results.

For a certain portion of AbbVie’s operations, the legal transfer of AbbVie’s assets (net of liabilities) did not occur with the separation of AbbVie on January 1, 2013 due to the time required to transfer marketing authorizations and satisfy other regulatory requirements in certain countries. Under the terms of the separation agreement with Abbott, AbbVie is responsible for the business activities conducted by Abbott on its behalf, and is subject to the risks and entitled to the benefits generated by these operations and assets. As a result, the related assets and liabilities and results of operations have been reported in AbbVie’s condensed consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014. Substantially all of these operations were transferred to AbbVie as of September 30, 2015.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Summary and Amendments That Create Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) and Other Assets and Deferred Costs–Contracts with Customers (Subtopic 340-40). The amendments in ASU 2014-09 supersede most current revenue recognition requirements. The core principal of the new guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. AbbVie can apply the amendments using one of the following two methods: (i) retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented, or (ii) retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the amendments recognized at the date of initial application. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-4, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year for all entities. Accordingly, ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is permitted only for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. AbbVie is currently assessing the timing of its adoption and the impact of adopting this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and the implementation approach to be used.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The amendments in ASU 2015-03 require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. ASU 2015-03 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted on a retrospective basis.

AbbVie elected to adopt ASU 2015-03 early, effective in the three months ended June 30, 2015. As a result, AbbVie reclassified approximately $7 million and $27 million of net deferred financing costs from prepaid expenses and other current assets and other long-term assets, respectively, to a reduction in the carrying amount of its long-term debt as of December 31, 2014. Total debt issuance costs classified as a reduction to long-term debt and lease obligations (current and non-current) were $118 million as of September 30, 2015.

In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments. ASU 2015-16 requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. Entities are currently required to retrospectively apply adjustments made to provisional amounts recognized in a business combination. ASU 2015-16 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The guidance is to be applied prospectively to measurement period adjustments that occur after the effective date of the guidance with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. AbbVie elected to adopt ASU 2015-16 early, effective in the three months ended September 30, 2015.