could be considered to be indefinite and the asset would not be amortized.

Revenues

Revenue Recognition—We record revenues from product sales when the goods are shipped and title passes to the customer. At the time of sale, we also record estimates for a variety of sales deductions, such as rebates, discounts and incentives, and product returns. When we cannot reasonably estimate the amount of future product returns, we record revenues when the risk of product return has been substantially eliminated.

Deductions from Revenues—Gross product sales are subject to a variety of deductions that are generally estimated and recorded in the same period that the revenues are recognized, and primarily represent rebates and discounts to government agencies, wholesalers, distributors and managed care organizations with respect to our pharmaceutical products. These deductions represent estimates of the related obligations and, as such, judgment and knowledge of market conditions and practice are required when estimating the impact of these sales deductions on gross sales for a reporting period.

Specifically,

• In the U.S., we record provisions for pharmaceutical Medicaid, Medicare and contract rebates based upon our experience ratio of rebates paid and actual prescriptions written during prior quarters. We apply the experience ratio to the respective period’s sales to determine the rebate accrual and related expense. This experience ratio is evaluated regularly to ensure that the historical trends are as current as practicable. As appropriate, we will adjust the ratio to better match our current experience or our expected future experience. In assessing this ratio, we consider current contract terms, such as changes in formulary status and discount rates. If our ratio is not indicative of future experience, our results could be materially affected.

• Outside the U.S., the majority of our pharmaceutical rebates, discounts and price reductions are contractual or legislatively mandated, and our estimates are based on actual invoiced sales within each period; both of these elements help to reduce the risk of variations in the estimation process. Some European countries base their rebates on the government’s unbudgeted pharmaceutical spending and we use an estimated allocation factor (based on historical payments) and total revenues by country against our actual invoiced sales to project the expected level of reimbursement. We obtain third-party information that helps us monitor the adequacy of these accruals. If our estimates are not indicative of actual unbudgeted spending, our results could be materially affected.

• Provisions for pharmaceutical chargebacks (primarily reimbursements to wholesalers for honoring contracted prices to third parties) closely approximate actual as we settle these deductions generally within two to four weeks of incurring the liability.

• Provisions for pharmaceutical returns are based on a calculation in each market that incorporates the following, as appropriate: local returns policies and practices; returns as a percentage of sales; an understanding of the reasons for past returns; estimated shelf-life by product; and