Abbott Completes Acquisition of Ibis Biosciences, a Subsidiary of Isis

CARLSBAD, Calif. and ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Isis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) and Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today
that Abbott has completed its purchase of Ibis Biosciences, Inc., an Isis
subsidiary, for a closing purchase price of $175 million. In addition to the
closing purchase price, Isis will receive earn out payments from Abbott tied
to post-closing sales of Ibis systems, including instruments and assay kits.

Previously, Abbott invested $40 million in Ibis in exchange for approximately
18.6% of Ibis' outstanding equity. This investment, along with the $175
million paid at closing, resulted in a total acquisition price of $215 million
plus earn out payments.

"We believe that Abbott is the ideal company to move the Ibis technology into
larger commercial markets, such as clinical diagnostics, where Ibis'
technology can revolutionize infectious disease detection," said Stanley
Crooke, Chairman and CEO of Isis. "With the earn out, Isis and our
shareholders will continue to participate in Ibis' success."

"This acquisition will enable Abbott to offer an innovative approach to the
detection and characterization of a broad array of pathogens for the
management of infectious diseases," said Stafford O'Kelly, Vice President,
Molecular Diagnostics, Abbott. "Ibis' unique technology and talented team of
scientists will help us continue building a long-term product pipeline for our
growing molecular diagnostics business."

About Abbott Molecular
Abbott's molecular diagnostics business, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill.,
provides physicians with critical information based on the early detection of
pathogens and key changes in patients' genes and chromosomes, allowing for
earlier diagnosis, selection of appropriate therapies and monitoring of
disease progression. The business includes instruments and reagents used to
conduct sophisticated analysis of patient DNA and RNA.

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
more than 68,000 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 www.abbott.com.

About Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Isis is exploiting its expertise in RNA to discover and develop novel drugs
for its product pipeline and for its partners. The Company has successfully
commercialized the world's first antisense drug and has 19 drugs in
development. Isis' drug development programs are focused on treating
cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Isis' partners are developing
antisense drugs invented by Isis to treat a wide variety of diseases. Isis is
a joint owner of Regulus Therapeutics LLC, a joint venture focused on the
discovery, development and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. As an
innovator in RNA-based drug discovery and development, Isis is the owner or
exclusive licensee of over 1,600 issued patents worldwide. Additional
information about Isis is available at www.isispharm.com.

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Isis
Pharmaceuticals' business, the financial position and outlook for Isis, and
the commercial potential of Ibis' technologies and products in development.
Any statement describing Isis' goals, expectations, financial or other
projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should
be considered an at-risk statement, including those statements that are
described as Isis' goals or projections. Such statements are subject to
certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of
discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective
for use as human therapeutics, in developing and commercializing systems to
identify infectious organisms that are effective and commercially attractive,
and in the endeavor of building a business around such products. Isis'
forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never
materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although
Isis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its
management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently
known by Isis. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these
forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Isis' programs
are described in additional detail in Isis' annual report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2007, and its most recent quarterly report on Form
10-Q, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are
available from the Company.

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 the
purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Abbott
cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those
indicated. Economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other
factors that may affect Abbott's operations are discussed in Item 1A, "Risk
Factors," to Abbott's Annual Report on Securities and Exchange Commission Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," to
Abbott's Quarterly Reports on Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-Q for
the quarters ended June 30, 2008, and September 30, 2008, and are incorporated
by reference. Abbott undertakes no obligation to release publicly any
revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or
developments.

In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise, "Isis" and
"Company" refers to Isis Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries and joint
venture.

Isis Pharmaceuticals is a registered trademark of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Regulus Therapeutics is a trademark of Regulus Therapeutics LLC.

SOURCE Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Kristina Lemonidis, Director, Corporate Communications, +1-760-603-2490, or
Amy Blackley, Ph.D., Manager, Corporate Communications, +1-760-603-2772, both
of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; or Don Braakman, Public Affairs, Diagnostics,
+1-847-937-0080, or +1-847-772-3263, or Tina Ventura, Director, Corporate
Communications, +1-847-935-9390, both of Abbott