Abbott Laboratories is a global health care company. Founded in 1888, the company operates in four main segments: established pharmaceutical products, diagnostic products, nutritional products—including infant formula—and medical devices. As of 2024, Abbott’s medical devices segment was its largest and fastest-growing, accounting for about 45% of revenue. That segment includes devices for monitoring cardiovascular health, glucose monitoring systems for diabetes care, and neuromodulation devices for chronic pain and movement disorders.
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Change the World 2025
The transfusion division of health care giant Abbott screens about half of the U.S. blood supply, so the nationwide decline in blood donations since the COVID pandemic has been not only a public health problem but, for Abbott, a business problem. The company tackled the dilemma by appealing to college students’ competitive streak: Last year, it launched the “We Give Blood” campaign among students at schools in the Big Ten conference, coinciding with the college football season.
The 2024 initiative resulted in nearly 20,000 donations, enough to save up to 60,000 lives. First-time donors represented 69% of We Give Blood participants. In and around the University of Nebraska—the school that won the competition—local blood centers saw a 27% increase in young donors (ages 16 to 24) versus the previous year. Season two kicked off this September, and is attracting donors at an even faster rate: It neared 20,000 donations in just the first four weeks of the drive.
