Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved under the European Union (EU) Merger Regulation the company’s pending acquisition of Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP). The Commission's decision includes Pfizer’s commitment to divest certain assets.

“We are pleased to have achieved a significant milestone for Pfizer’s pending acquisition of Hospira with the EC’s approval of the transaction,” said Ian Read, chairman and chief executive officer, Pfizer. “We continue to work cooperatively with the regulatory agencies to obtain the requisite approvals, and continue to expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2015.”

Completion of the transaction remains subject to the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, governmental and regulatory approvals in certain other jurisdictions and other usual and customary closing conditions.

About Pfizer:

At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products. Our global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines as well as many of the world's best-known consumer health care products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more, please visit us at www.pfizer.com.

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information contained in this release is as of August 4, 2015. Pfizer assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

This release contains forward-looking information related to the pending acquisition of Hospira by Pfizer that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, among other things, those about the anticipated timing of closing of the acquisition. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the satisfaction of the conditions to closing the acquisition in the anticipated timeframe or at all, including risks related to the failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and the possibility that the acquisition does not close; risks related to the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, including the possibility that the expected synergies from the pending acquisition will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully; disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; negative effects of the announcement of the pending acquisition or the consummation of the pending acquisition on the market price of Pfizer's common stock; significant transaction costs; unknown liabilities; the risk of litigation and/or regulatory actions related to the pending acquisition; other business effects, including the effects of industry, market, economic, political or regulatory conditions; future exchange or interest rates; changes in tax laws, regulations, rates and policies; the uncertainties inherent in research and development; and competitive developments.

A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, including in the sections thereof captioned "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results", as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com.