Table of Contents the SEC, may also be obtained, without charge, by contacting the Corporate Secretary, BD, 1 Becton Drive, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417-1880, telephone 201-847-6800. In addition, the SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. BD also routinely posts important information for investors on its website at www.bd.com/investors. BD may use this website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD adopted by the SEC. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations portion of BD’s website noted above, in addition to following BD’s press releases, SEC filings, and public conference calls and webcasts. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto shall not be deemed to be incorporated into this Annual Report. BD and its representatives may from time-to-time make certain forward-looking statements in publicly-released materials, both written and oral, including statements contained in filings with the SEC and in its reports to shareholders. Additional information regarding BD’s forward-looking statements is contained in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. An investment in BD involves a variety of risks and uncertainties. The following describes some of the material risks that could adversely affect BD’s business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows. We may also be adversely impacted by other risks not presently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. We are subject to risks associated with public health threats, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has had, and we expect will continue to have, a material adverse effect on our business. The nature and extent of future impacts are highly uncertain and unpredictable. We are subject to risks associated with public health threats, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the travel restrictions, quarantines and other actions taken by governments and the private sector to slow the spread of the virus resulted in a global economic slowdown, and caused healthcare systems to divert resources to manage the pandemic. These measures led to unprecedented restrictions on and disruptions in businesses and personal activities. As a result, we experienced significant reductions in the demand for certain of our products, resulting from reductions in elective and non-essential procedures, lower utilization of routine testing and related specimen collection, reduced capital spend by customers and a decrease in research activity due to laboratory closures and reduced clinical testing. While the United States and other countries have begun to reopen their economies, utilization rates for many of our products have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. There may also be continued pressure on our margins due to manufacturing variances resulting from lower demand for certain of our products. In addition, in response to the pandemic, we developed and launched multiple products for the detection and identification of COVID-19, including tests for our BD Max™ molecular System and BD Veritor™ Plus System, and there are a number of factors, including the timing and availability of any COVID-19 vaccine and the entry of additional competitive products, that could impact the level of demand and pricing for our COVID-19 diagnostics testing. Moreover, any resurgence in COVID-19 infections could result in the imposition of new governmental lockdowns, quarantine requirements or other restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, which could weaken demand for certain of our products, as discussed above. Such measures have begun to be implemented again in certain European countries and in the United States as infections have begun to increase again, in some cases 10 Business, Economic and Industry Risks Item 1A. Risk Factors. Forward-Looking Statements