Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Baxter carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of its Disclosure Committee and management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of Baxter’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2017. Baxter’s disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by Baxter in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported on a timely basis and that such information is communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and its Board of Directors, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Based on that evaluation the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2017.

Management’s Assessment of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision of the principal executive and financial officers, and effected by the board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

In 2017, Baxter acquired 100 percent of Claris Injectables Limited (Claris). As part of the post-closing integration, the company is engaged in refining and harmonizing the internal controls and processes of the acquired business with those of the company. Management has excluded the internal controls of Claris associated with total assets of approximately 2% and total revenues of 1% included in the Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017 from its annual assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. This exclusion is in accordance with the general guidance issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission that an assessment of a recent business combination may be omitted from management’s report on internal control over financial reporting in the year of consolidation.

Management performed an assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In making this assessment, management used the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on that assessment under the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) , management concluded that the company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017.

The effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears herein.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In 2017, related to its overall business optimization initiatives, the company began implementation of a business transformation project within the finance, human resources, purchasing and information technology functions which will further centralize and standardize business processes and systems across the company. The company is transitioning some processes to its shared services centers while others are moving to outsourced providers. This multi-year initiative will be conducted in phases and include modifications to the design and operation of controls over financial reporting.

With the exception of the above, there have been no changes in Baxter’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the quarter ended December 31, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, Baxter’s internal control over financial reporting.