Abbott Chief Operating Officer Richard A. Gonzalez to Retire

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Richard A. Gonzalez, president and chief operating officer, and a member of Abbott's board of directors, plans to retire after a distinguished 30-year career with the company.

"Rick is a consummate leader and has had a distinguished career at Abbott, including his work to help conceive and execute Abbott's successful medical products strategy," said Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive officer, Abbott. "He is a close friend and colleague with whom I've worked virtually my whole career at Abbott. I thank him for his many great contributions to our company and wish him the very best in his retirement."

Gonzalez will remain with Abbott until Sept. 30, 2007. Upon his retirement, the heads of Abbott's four operating businesses -- medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutritionals and diagnostics -- will report directly to Mr. White.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs 65,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com/.