Hospira Convenes Its First Annual Meeting Of Shareholders

LAKE FOREST, Ill., May 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hospira, Inc. , one of the largest hospital products manufacturers in the United States, today convened its first Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Wilmington, Del. The agenda included shareholder votes on four proposals and a brief overview of the company.

“This meeting is the capstone of our first year as a public company,” said Christopher B. Begley, chief executive officer, Hospira. “Our spin-off provided the ideal platform for us to unlock the potential of our organization, with 2004 results coming in stronger than initially expected. As we continue to establish our independent infrastructure, this year will be a critical period of execution, and we are confident that we have taken the right steps to advance our success.”

 At the Annual Meeting, shareholders: -- Elected the following directors, for a three-year term expiring in 2008: Irving W. Bailey, II, Judith C. Pelham and Jacque J. Sokolov, M.D.; -- Approved the company’s Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan; -- Approved the Performance Incentive Plan; and -- Ratified the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as auditors for Hospira for 2005. 

A full description of the above matters was included in Hospira’s proxy statement related to the meeting.

About Hospira

Hospira, Inc. is a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company dedicated to Advancing Wellness(TM) by developing, manufacturing and marketing products that help improve the productivity, safety and efficacy of patient care. Created from the core global hospital products business of Abbott Laboratories in April 2004, Hospira is a new company with 70 years of service to the hospital industry. The company’s portfolio includes one of the industry’s broadest lines of generic acute-care injectables, which help address the high cost of proprietary pharmaceuticals in hospitals; integrated solutions for medication management and infusion therapy; and the leading U.S. injectable contract manufacturing business. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., north of Chicago, Hospira has approximately 13,000 employees and 14 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Hospira’s news releases and other information can be found at http://www.hospira.com/.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release may be forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Hospira cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect Hospira’s operations and may cause actual results to be materially different from expectations include the risks and uncertainties set forth under the heading “Item 1 Business -- Risk Factors” in Hospira’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2004, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference. Hospira undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as the result of subsequent events or developments.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040503/HSPLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comHospira, Inc.

CONTACT: Media, Tareta Adams, +1-224-212-2535, or Financial Community,Lynn McHugh, +1-224-212-2363, both of Hospira, Inc.