Table of Contents We are subject to lawsuits. lack of capacity, regulatory requirements or otherwise, we may be unable to transition sterilization to other sites or modalities in a timely or cost effective manner, or at all, which could have an adverse impact on our operating results. We are or have been a defendant in a number of lawsuits, including, among others, purported class action lawsuits for alleged antitrust violations, product liability claims (which may involve lawsuits seeking class action status or seeking to establish multi-district litigation proceedings, including claims relating to our hernia repair implant products, surgical continence and pelvic organ prolapse products for women and vena cava filter products), and suits alleging patent infringement. We have also been subject to government subpoenas seeking information with respect to alleged violations of law, including in connection with federal and/or state healthcare programs (such as Medicare or Medicaid) and/or sales and marketing practices (such as the civil investigative demands). A more detailed description of certain litigation to which we are a party is contained in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. We could be subject to additional lawsuits or governmental investigations in the future. Reserves established for estimated losses with respect to legal proceedings do not represent an exact calculation of our actual liability, but instead represent our estimate of the probable loss at the time the reserve is established. Due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation and our underlying loss reserve estimates, additional reserves may be established or current reserves may be significantly increased from time-to-time. Also, in some instances, we are not able to estimate the amount or range of loss that could result from an unfavorable outcome of the litigation to which we are a party. In view of these uncertainties, we could incur charges materially in excess of any currently established accruals and, to the extent available, excess liability insurance. Any such future charges, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and/or liquidity. With respect to our existing product liability litigation, we believe that some settlements and judgments, as well as legal defense costs, may be covered in whole or in part under our product liability insurance policies with a limited number of insurance companies, or, in some circumstances, indemnification obligations to us from other parties. However, amounts recovered under these arrangements may be less than the stated coverage limits or less than otherwise expected and may not be adequate to cover damages and/or costs. In addition, there is no guarantee that insurers or other parties will pay claims or that coverage or indemnity will be otherwise available. For certain product liability claims or lawsuits, BD does not maintain or has limited remaining insurance coverage, and we may not be able to obtain additional insurance on acceptable terms or at all that will provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. Our operations are global and are affected by complex state, federal and international laws relating to healthcare, environmental protection, antitrust, anti-corruption, marketing, fraud and abuse (including anti-kickback and false claims laws), export control, employment, privacy and other areas. Violations of these laws can result in criminal or civil sanctions, including substantial fines and, in some cases, exclusion from participation in health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Environmental laws, particularly with respect to the emission of greenhouse gases, are also becoming more stringent throughout the world, which may increase our costs of operations or necessitate closures of or changes to our manufacturing plants or processes or those of our suppliers, or result in liability to BD. The enactment of additional laws in the future may increase our compliance costs or otherwise adversely impact our operations. We are also subject to extensive regulation by the FDA pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, by comparable agencies in foreign countries, and by other regulatory agencies and governing bodies. Most of our products must receive clearance or approval from the FDA or counterpart regulatory agencies in other countries before they can be marketed or sold. The process for obtaining marketing approval or clearance may require us to incur significant costs in terms of time and resources, and these costs have been increasing due to increased requirements from the FDA for supporting data for submissions. The regulatory process may also require changes to our products or result in limitations on the indicated uses of our products. Governmental We are subject to extensive regulation. 15