Abbott Laboratories for years misstated that the executive handpicked to head its pending pharmaceutical spinoff held both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and on Thursday called the misinformation “an administrative error.” Richard Gonzalez, named last October as the future chief executive of AbbVie once the company splits its drugs and medical devices businesses, did not complete his college education or receive a college degree, Abbott said on Thursday. His company biography had stated that Gonzalez, Abbott’s head of global pharmaceuticals, received degrees from the University of Houston and the University of Miami.
