U.S. drug manufacturer AbbVie is separating from parent Abbott Laboratories. We are assigning our 'A' corporate credit and 'A-1' short-term ratings to the company. AbbVie's defensible product positions and moderate leverage, just over 1.5x, are key strengths considered by the rating. The positive outlook reflects our expectation that credit measures will quickly strengthen, post separation. NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 26, 2012--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it assigned its 'A' long-term and 'A-1' short-term corporate credit ratings to AbbVie Inc., a North Chicgo, Ill.-based pharmaceutical manufacturer. The rating outlook is positive. "The rating reflects our expectation that AbbVie's key product, arthritis treatment Humira, will continue to grow through both additional uses and the expanding pool of
