Item 1A. Risk Factors.

In addition to the other information set forth in this 2019 Annual Report, any of the factors described below could materially adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and liquidity, which could cause the trading price of our securities to decline.

This report contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and performance. We generally identify forward-looking statements by words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” “predict,” “believe,” “seek,” “continue,” “outlook,” "objective," "target," “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “can have,” “likely” or the negative version of these words or comparable words or by using future dates in connection with any discussion of future performance, actions or events. Forward-looking statements are based on beliefs and assumptions made by management using currently available information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions or events.

In particular, forward-looking statements include statements relating to our 2020 financial guidance, future actions, business plans or prospects, prospective products, product approvals or products under development, product supply disruptions, R&D costs, timing and likelihood of success, future operating or financial performance, future results of current and anticipated products and services, strategies, sales efforts, expenses, production efficiencies, production margins, anticipated timing of generic market entries, integration of acquired businesses, interest rates, tax rates, changes in tax regimes and laws, foreign exchange rates, growth in emerging markets, the outcome of contingencies, such as legal proceedings, plans related to share repurchases and dividends, government regulation and financial results. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and potentially inaccurate assumptions. However, there may also be other risks that we are unable to predict at this time. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if management's underlying beliefs and assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by a forward-looking statement. You should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made.

We undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law or by the rules and regulations of the SEC. You are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our Form 10-Q and 8-K reports and our other filings with the SEC. We note these factors for investors as permitted by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not consider the following to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties.

Risks related to our business and industry

Our products are subject to unanticipated safety, quality or efficacy concerns.

Unanticipated safety, quality or efficacy concerns can arise with respect to our products, whether or not scientifically or clinically supported, leading to product recalls, withdrawals or suspended or declining sales, as well as product liability and other claims.

Regulatory actions based on these types of safety, quality or efficacy concerns could impact all or a significant portion of a product’s sales and could, depending on the circumstances, materially adversely affect our operating results.

In addition, since we depend on positive perceptions of the safety, quality and efficacy of our products, and animal health products generally, by our customers, veterinarians and end-users, any concerns as to the safety, quality or efficacy of our products, whether actual or perceived, may harm our reputation. These concerns and the related harm to our reputation could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition, regardless of whether such reports are accurate.

Our results of operations are dependent upon the success of our top products.

If any of our top products experience issues, such as loss of patent protection, material product liability litigation, new or unexpected side effects, manufacturing disruptions, regulatory proceedings, labeling changes, negative publicity, changes to veterinarian or customer preferences, and/or disruptive innovations or the introduction of more effective products, our revenues could be negatively impacted, perhaps significantly. Our top five products, Apoquel, Draxxin, the ceftiofur product line, the Revolution/Stronghold line, and Simparica contributed approximately 29% of our revenue in 2019. Any issues with these top products would have a more significant impact to our results of operations.

Generic and other products may be viewed as more cost-effective than our products.

We face competition from products produced by other companies, including generic alternatives to our products. We depend on patents and regulatory data exclusivity periods to provide us with exclusive marketing rights for some of our products. Patents for individual products expire at different times based on the date of the patent filing (or sometimes the date of patent grant) and the legal term of patents in the countries where such patents are obtained. The extent of protection afforded by our patents varies from country to country and is limited by the scope of the claimed subject matter of our patents, the term of the patent and the availability and enforcement of legal remedies in the applicable country. As a result, we face competition from lower-priced generic alternatives to many of our products that no longer have patent protection. In certain circumstances, we have been forced to lower our prices and provide discounts or rebates in order to compete with generic products. Generic competitors are becoming more aggressive in terms of launching at risk before patent rights expire and, because of their pricing, are an increasing percentage of overall animal health sales in certain regions. For example, several companies have launched generic versions of our Rimadyl chewable product. As a result of generic and other competition, sales of our Rimadyl chewable product in the U.S. have declined by approximately 24% in the years since their introduction. Sales of our Clavamox products in the U.S. also continue to be negatively impacted by generic competition.

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Although the impact of generic competition in the animal health industry to date has not typically mirrored that seen in human health, in certain markets, the impact of generic competition in the future may more closely mirror human health as a result of changes in industry dynamics, such as channel expansion, customer consolidation, an increase in the availability and use of pet insurance and the potential for generic competition by established animal health businesses. If animal health customers increase their use of new or existing generic products, our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Over the next few years, several of our products' patents will expire. Draxxin, containing the active ingredient tulathromycin, is covered by formulation patents in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia and other key markets, with terms that expire between November 2020 and February 2021 in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia. The active ingredient tulathromycin is protected in Japan until 2023. Generic tulathromycin products are marketed in certain countries including Colombia, Vietnam, Belarus, Russia, Poland and Croatia. Marketing authorizations for generic tulathromycin products have been granted in Europe and Australia. There are pending marketing authorizations for generic tulathromycin products in Australia and additional authorizations may be granted in various markets in the future. At this time, market entry by generic tulathromycin products in the U.S. is not anticipated before February 2021. Several patents covering the ceftiofur antibiotic product line (Excede) began expiring in the U.S. in 2015. However, various formulation and use patents relevant to the product line extend through to 2024. A generic version of Excede has entered the market in Mexico. At this time, the market entry of a generic version of Excede in the U.S. is not anticipated before 2024. The compound patent for selamectin, the active ingredient in our parasiticides Revolution and Stronghold, expired in 2014. Formulation patents covering these products expired in important markets in 2019. Generic versions of selamectin are now marketed in markets including Europe, Australia and Canada. A generic version of selamectin received marketing approval in the U.S. in November 2019. Draxxin, Revolution/Stronghold, and the ceftiofur product line contributed approximately 16% of our revenue in 2019. In addition, the patent for the active ingredient of Convenia® has expired, however, there are formulation patents relevant to the product line which expire between November 2022 and October 2023. The patent for the active ingredient of Cerenia has expired; however, there are formulation patents relevant to the product line which expire between May 2020 and January 2027. A generic version of Cerenia has been registered in Europe and is marketed in the European Union, and there is a pending registration in Canada. At this time, there is no indication of market entry of a generic version of Cerenia in the U.S. There are pending registrations for generic versions of ProHeart 12 in Australia. The formulation patent covering ProHeart 12 expired in the U.S. in 2019, but expires in Australia, Canada and Japan in October 2021. Zoetis typically enforces its patents whenever appropriate both within and outside the U.S., including by filing infringement claims against other parties.

The animal health industry is highly competitive.

The animal health industry is highly competitive. We believe many of our competitors are conducting R&D activities in areas served by our products and in areas in which we are developing products. Our competitors include standalone animal health businesses and the animal health businesses of large pharmaceutical companies. There are also several new start-up companies working in the animal health area. In certain markets, we also compete with companies that produce generic products, but the level of competition from generic products varies from market to market. These competitors may have access to greater financial, marketing, technical and other resources or have significant market share in particular areas. As a result, they may be able to devote more resources to developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling their products, initiating or withstanding substantial price competition or more readily taking advantage of acquisitions or other opportunities. Further, consolidation in the animal health industry could result in existing competitors realizing additional efficiencies or improving portfolio bundling opportunities, thereby potentially increasing their market share and pricing power, which could lead to a decrease in our revenue and profitability and an increase in competition. In addition to competition from established market participants, new entrants to the animal health medicines and vaccines industry could substantially reduce our market share or render our products obsolete.

To the extent that any of our competitors are more successful with respect to any key competitive factor or we are forced to reduce, or are unable to raise, the price of any of our products in order to remain competitive, our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Competitive pressure could arise from, among other things, safety and efficacy concerns, limited demand growth or a significant number of additional competitive products being introduced into a particular market, price reductions by competitors, the ability of competitors to capitalize on their economies of scale, the ability of competitors to produce or otherwise procure animal health products at lower costs than us and the ability of competitors to access more or newer technology than us.

Disruptive innovations and advances in medical practices and technologies could negatively affect the market for our products.

The market for our products could be impacted negatively by the introduction and/or broad market acceptance of newly-developed or alternative products that address the diseases and conditions for which we sell products, including “green” or “holistic” health products or specially bred disease-resistant animals. In addition, technological breakthroughs by others may obviate our technology and reduce or eliminate the market for our products. Introduction or acceptance of such products or technologies could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Consolidation of our customers and distributors could negatively affect the pricing of our products.

Veterinarians and livestock producers are our primary customers. In recent years, there has been a trend towards the concentration of veterinarians in large clinics and hospitals. In addition, livestock producers, particularly swine and poultry producers, and our distributors, have seen consolidation in their industries. Furthermore, we have seen the expansion of larger cross-border corporate customers and an increase in the consolidation of buying groups (cooperatives of veterinary practices that leverage volume to pursue discounts from manufacturers). The pace of consolidation and structure of markets varies greatly across geographies. If these trends towards consolidation continue, these customers and distributors could attempt to improve their profitability by leveraging their buying power to obtain favorable pricing. The resulting decrease in our prices could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

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Changes in distribution channels for companion animal products could negatively impact our market share, margins and distribution of our products.

In most markets, companion animal owners typically purchase their animal health products directly from veterinarians. Companion animal owners increasingly have the option to purchase animal health products from sources other than veterinarians, such as Internet-based retailers, “big-box” retail stores or other over-the-counter distribution channels. This trend has been demonstrated by the significant shift away from the veterinarian distribution channel in the sale of flea and tick products in recent years. Companion animal owners also could decrease their reliance on, and visits to, veterinarians as they rely more on Internet-based animal health information. Because we primarily market our companion animal products through the veterinarian distribution channel, any decrease in visits to veterinarians by companion animal owners could reduce our market share for such products and materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. In addition, companion animal owners may substitute human health products for animal health products if human health products are deemed to be lower-cost alternatives.

Legislation has also been proposed in the U.S. in the past, and may be proposed in the U.S. or abroad in the future, that could impact the distribution channels for our companion animal products. For example, such legislation may require veterinarians to provide pet owners with written prescriptions and disclosure that the pet owner may fill prescriptions through a third party, which may further reduce the number of pet owners who purchase their animal health products directly from veterinarians. Such requirements may lead to increased use of generic alternatives to our products or the increased substitution of our products with other animal health products or human health products if such other products are deemed to be lower-cost alternatives. Many states already have regulations requiring veterinarians to provide prescriptions to pet owners upon request and the American Veterinary Medical Association has long-standing policies in place to encourage this practice.

In the U.S. and certain other markets, these and other competitive conditions have increased, and may continue to increase, our reliance on Internet-based retailers, “big-box” retail stores or other over-the-counter distribution channels to sell our companion animal products. Over time we may be unable to sustain our current margins due to the increased purchasing power of such retailers as compared to traditional veterinary practices.

Any of these events could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We may not successfully acquire and integrate other businesses, license rights to technologies or products, form and manage alliances or divest businesses.

We pursue acquisitions, technology licensing arrangements, strategic alliances or divestitures of some of our businesses as part of our business strategy. We may not complete these transactions in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis or at all. In addition, we may be subject to regulatory constraints or limitations or other unforeseen factors that prevent us from realizing the expected benefits. Even if we are successful in making an acquisition, the products and technologies that are acquired may not be successful or may require significantly greater resources and investments than originally anticipated. We may be unable to integrate acquisitions successfully into our existing business, and we may be unable to achieve expected gross margin improvements or efficiencies. We also could incur or assume significant debt and unknown or contingent liabilities. Our reported results of operations could be negatively affected by acquisition or disposition-related charges, amortization of expenses related to intangibles and charges for impairment of long-term assets. We may be subject to litigation in connection with, or as a result of, acquisitions, dispositions, licenses or other alliances, including claims from terminated employees, customers or third parties, and we may be liable for future or existing litigation and claims related to the acquired business, disposition, license or other alliance because either we are not indemnified for such claims or the indemnification is insufficient.

While our evaluation of any potential transaction includes business, legal and financial due diligence with the goal of identifying and evaluating the material risks involved, our due diligence reviews may not identify all of the issues necessary to accurately estimate the cost and potential loss contingencies of a particular transaction, including potential exposure to regulatory sanctions or fines resulting from an acquisition target's previous activities, inadequate controls, or costs associated with any quality issues with an acquisition target’s legacy products. For example, in February 2020, we submitted an initial voluntary disclosure to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regarding certain transactions that could potentially have involved sales of food, medicine or devices to individuals or entities who may have been resident in or had ties to Iran. The sales were made by our Platinum Performance business, which we acquired in August 2019. While it is unknown at this time, whether violation of U.S. sanctions laws occurred, our internal investigation is continuing, and we have committed to providing a full report of our findings and any additional transactions with any sanctioned or prohibited persons

to OFAC when completed.

Any of these events could cause us to incur significant expenses and could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Acquiring or implementing new business lines or offering new products and services may subject us to additional risks.

From time to time, we may acquire or implement new business lines or offer new products and services within existing lines of business. For example, with our July 2018 acquisition of Abaxis, we added new products and services to our existing point-of-care veterinary diagnostics business, and with our recent acquisitions of Phoenix Lab and ZNLabs we entered into the reference lab market. We are also investing in genetics and precision livestock farming, digital technology and data analytics and insurance agency services. There may be substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts. We may invest significant time and resources in developing, marketing, or acquiring new lines of business and/or offering new products and services. Initial timetables for the introduction and development or acquisition of new lines of business and/or the offering of new products or services may not be achieved, and price and profitability targets may prove to be unachievable. Our lack of experience or knowledge, as well as external factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives and shifting market preferences, may also impact the success of an acquisition or the implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service. New business lines or new products and services within existing lines of business could affect the sales and profitability of existing lines of business or products and services. Other risks include: (i) potential diversion of management’s attention, available cash, and other resources

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from our existing businesses; (ii) unanticipated liabilities or contingencies; (iii) the need for additional capital and other resources to expand into or acquire the new line of business; (iv) potential damage to existing customer relationships, lack of customer acceptance or inability to attract new customers; and (v) the inability to compete effectively. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the implementation or acquisition of new lines of business or the offering of new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Restrictions and bans on the use of and consumer preferences regarding antibacterials in food-producing animals may become more prevalent.

The issue of the potential transfer of increased antibacterial resistance in bacteria from food-producing animals to human pathogens, and the causality of that transfer, continue to be the subject of global scientific and regulatory discussion. Antibacterials refer to small molecules that can be used to treat or prevent bacterial infections and are a sub-categorization of the products that make up our anti-infectives and medicated feed additives portfolios. In some countries, this issue has led to government restrictions and bans on the use of specific antibacterials in some food-producing animals, regardless of the route of administration (in feed or injectable). These restrictions are more prevalent in countries where animal protein is plentiful and governments are willing to take action even when there is scientific uncertainty. Our total revenue attributable to antibacterials for livestock was approximately $1.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019.

For example, regulations regarding antibiotic usage in animals have been introduced in certain markets, including the U.S., the EU, China, France, Germany, and Vietnam. In addition, certain jurisdictions like Italy have implemented the use of electronic prescriptions, which has caused more disciplined use of antibiotics and decreased the demand for our products.

In certain markets, there has been an increase in consumer preference towards proteins produced without the use of antibiotics.

We cannot predict whether antibacterial resistance concerns will result in additional restrictions or bans, expanded regulations, public pressure to discontinue or reduce use of antibacterials in food-producing animals or increased consumer preference for antibiotic-free protein, any of which could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Perceived adverse effects linked to the consumption of food derived from animals that utilize our products or animals generally could cause a decline in the sales of such products.

Our livestock business depends heavily on a healthy and growing livestock industry. If the public perceives a risk to human health from the consumption of the food derived from animals that utilize our products, there may be a decline in the production of such food products and, in turn, demand for our products. For example, livestock producers may experience decreased demand for their products or reputational harm as a result of evolving consumer views of animal rights, nutrition, health-related, environmental or other concerns. Any reputational harm to the livestock industry may also extend to companies in related industries, including our company. Adverse consumer views related to the use of one or more of our products in livestock also may result in a decrease in the use of such products and could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, changing consumer preferences and increasing consumer interest in alternatives to animal-based protein and dairy products has driven the growth of plant-based substitutes. Any resulting reduced demand for animal-based foods could adversely affect the livestock industry and, as a result, reduce demand for our livestock products, which could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Our business is subject to risk based on global economic conditions.

Macroeconomic, business and financial disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition and liquidity. Certain of our customers and suppliers could be affected directly by an economic downturn and could face credit issues or cash flow problems that could give rise to payment delays, increased credit risk, bankruptcies and other financial hardships that could decrease the demand for our products or hinder our ability to collect amounts due from customers. If one or more of our large customers, including distributors, discontinue their relationship with us as a result of economic conditions or otherwise, our operating results and financial condition may be materially adversely affected. In addition, economic concerns may cause some pet owners to forgo or defer visits to veterinary practices or could reduce their willingness to treat pet health conditions or even to continue to own a pet. Infectious disease outbreaks, pandemics and widespread fear of spreading disease through human contact can cause disruptions to or negatively impact our, our customers’ and our distributors’ business operations, which could materially adversely affect our operating results. Furthermore, our exposure to credit and collectability risk is higher in certain international markets and our ability to mitigate such risks may be limited. While we have procedures to monitor and limit exposure to credit and collectability risk, there can be no assurances such procedures will effectively limit such risk and avoid losses.

Increased regulation or decreased governmental financial support relating to the raising, processing or consumption of food-producing animals could reduce demand for our livestock products.

Companies in the livestock industries are subject to extensive and increasingly stringent regulations. If livestock producers are adversely affected by new regulations or changes to existing regulations, they may reduce herd sizes or become less profitable and, as a result, they may reduce their use of our products, which may materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, new or more stringent regulations could, directly or indirectly, impact the use of one or more of our products. More stringent regulation of the livestock industry or our products could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Also, many food-producing companies, including livestock producers, benefit from governmental subsidies, and if such subsidies were to be reduced or eliminated, these companies may become less profitable and, as a result, may reduce their use of our products.

An outbreak of infectious disease carried by animals could negatively affect the sale and production of our products.

Sales of our livestock products could be materially adversely affected by the outbreak of disease carried by animals, which could lead to the widespread death or precautionary destruction of animals as well as the reduced consumption and demand for animal protein. In addition,

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outbreaks of disease carried by animals may reduce regional or global sales of particular animal-derived food products or result in reduced exports of such products, either due to heightened export restrictions or import prohibitions, which may reduce demand for our products due to reduced herd or flock sizes. In recent years, outbreaks of various diseases, including African Swine Fever, avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (otherwise known as BSE or mad cow disease) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (otherwise known as PEDv), have impacted the animal health business. The discovery of additional cases of any of these, or new, diseases may result in additional restrictions on animal proteins, reduced herd sizes, or reduced demand for, animal protein, which may have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Also, the outbreak of any highly contagious disease near our main production sites could require us to immediately halt production of our products at such sites or force us to incur substantial expenses in procuring raw materials or products elsewhere.

Our business may be negatively affected by weather conditions, natural disasters, climate change and the availability of natural resources.

Weather conditions, including excessive cold or heat, natural disasters and other events, could negatively impact our livestock customers by impairing the health or growth of their animals or the production or availability of feed. Such events can also interfere with our livestock customers’ operations due to power outages, fuel shortages, damage to their farms or facilities or disruption of transportation channels, among other things. For example, severe droughts can lead to a decrease in harvested corn and higher corn prices, which may impact the profitability of livestock producers of cattle, pork and poultry. Higher corn prices may contribute to reductions in herd or flock sizes that may result in reduced spending on animal health products. In addition, droughts can lead to reduced availability of grazing pastures, forcing cattle producers to cull their herds. Fewer heads of cattle could result in reduced demand for our products. Heat waves may cause stress in animals and lead to increased vulnerability to disease, reduced fertility rates and reduced milk production. In addition, the impact of climate change, including increased temperatures and rising water levels, may negatively affect our livestock customers, including by increasing the prevalence of parasites and diseases that affect food animals.

Adverse weather conditions, natural disasters and climate change may also have a material impact on the aquaculture business. Changes in water temperatures could affect the timing of reproduction and growth of various fish species, as well as trigger the outbreak of certain water borne diseases.

Furthermore, livestock producers depend on the availability of natural resources, including large supplies of fresh water. Their animals' health and their ability to operate could be adversely affected if they experience a shortage of fresh water due to human population growth, climate change or floods, droughts or other weather conditions. In the event of a natural disaster, adverse weather conditions, climate change-related impacts or a shortage of fresh water, veterinarians or livestock producers may purchase less of our products and our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

In addition, veterinary hospitals and practitioners depend on visits from and access to animals under their care. Veterinarians’ patient volume and ability to operate could be adversely affected if they experience natural disasters, including floods, fires, earthquakes and hurricanes or other storms, or prolonged snow, ice or other weather conditions, particularly in regions not accustomed to sustained inclement weather.

The animal health industry and demand for many of our animal health products in particular regions are also affected by weather conditions, as usage of our products follows varying weather patterns and weather-related pressures from pests, such as ticks. As a result, we may experience regional and seasonal fluctuations in our results of operations.

Modification of foreign trade policy by the U.S. or foreign countries or the imposition of tariffs on U.S. or foreign goods may harm our business.

Changes in U.S. laws, agreements and policies governing foreign trade in the territories and countries where our customers do business could negatively impact such customers’ businesses and adversely affect our operating results. A number of our customers, particularly U.S.-based livestock producers, benefit from free trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S., Canada and Mexico reached an agreement to replace NAFTA with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Most provisions of the USMCA will not begin until all governments ratify the USMCA. These new provisions, as well as any other changes to international trade agreements or policies could harm our customers, and as a result, negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, in response to U.S. tariffs affecting foreign exports, some foreign governments, including China, have instituted and may in the future institute tariffs on certain U.S. goods. While the scope and duration of these and any future tariffs remains uncertain, tariffs imposed by the U.S. or foreign governments on our products or the active pharmaceutical ingredients or other components thereof could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is subject to risk based on customer exposure to rising costs and reduced customer income.

Feed, fuel and transportation and other key costs for livestock producers may increase or animal protein prices or sales may decrease. Either of these trends could cause deterioration in the financial condition of our livestock product customers, potentially inhibiting their ability to purchase our products or pay us for products delivered. Our livestock product customers may offset rising costs by reducing spending on our products, including by switching to lower-cost alternatives to our products. In addition, concerns about the financial resources of pet owners also could cause veterinarians to alter their treatment recommendations in favor of lower-cost alternatives to our products. These shifts could result in a decrease in sales of our companion animal products, especially in developed countries where there is a higher rate of pet ownership.

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Our business could be adversely affected by labor disputes, strikes or work stoppages.

Some of our employees are members of unions, works councils, trade associations or are otherwise subject to collective bargaining agreements in certain jurisdictions, including the U.S. As a result, we are subject to the risk of labor disputes, strikes, work stoppages and other labor-relations matters. We may be unable to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements on similar or more favorable terms and may experience work stoppages or other labor problems in the future at our sites. We could experience a disruption of our operations or higher ongoing labor costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition, potentially resulting in canceled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages and reduced revenue and net income. We may also experience difficulty or delays in implementing changes to our workforce in certain markets. In addition, labor problems at our suppliers, CMOs or other service providers could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Loss of our executive officers or other key personnel or other changes to our management team could disrupt our operations or harm our business.

We depend on the efforts of our executive officers and certain key personnel. Our executive officers and other key personnel are not currently, and are not expected to be, subject to non-compete provisions. In addition, we generally do not enter into employment agreements with our executive officers and other key personnel. Any unplanned turnover or our failure to develop an adequate succession plan for one or more of our executive officers or other key positions could deplete our institutional knowledge base and erode our competitive advantage. The loss or limited availability of the services of one or more of our executive officers or other key personnel, or our inability to recruit and retain qualified executive officers or other key personnel in the future, could, at least temporarily, have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Following our recent CEO transition, we have made a number of changes to our senior management team. Such leadership transitions can be inherently difficult to manage, and an inadequate transition may cause disruption to our business, including to our relationships with our customers, suppliers, vendors and employees. It may also make it more difficult for us to hire and retain key employees.

We may be required to write down goodwill or identifiable intangible assets.

Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP), if we determine goodwill or identifiable intangible assets are impaired, we will be required to write down these assets and record a non-cash impairment charge. As of December 31, 2019, we had goodwill of $2.6 billion and identifiable intangible assets, less accumulated amortization, of $1.9 billion. Identifiable intangible assets consist primarily of developed technology rights, brands, trademarks, license agreements, patents, acquired customer relationships and in-process R&D.

Determining whether an impairment exists and the amount of the potential impairment involves quantitative data and qualitative criteria that are based on estimates and assumptions requiring significant management judgment. Future events or new information may change management's valuation of an intangible asset in a short amount of time. The timing and amount of impairment charges recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income and write-downs recorded in our Consolidated Balance Sheets could vary if management's conclusions change. Any impairment of goodwill or identifiable intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial position.

Risks related to research and development

Our R&D, acquisition and licensing efforts may fail to generate new products and product lifecycle innovations.

Our future success depends on both our existing product portfolio and our pipeline of new products, including new products that we may develop through joint ventures and products that we are able to obtain through license or acquisition. We commit substantial effort, funds and other resources to R&D, both through our own dedicated resources and through collaborations with third parties.

We may be unable to determine with accuracy when or whether any of our products now under development will be approved or launched, or we may be unable to develop, license or otherwise acquire product candidates or products. In addition, we cannot predict whether any products, once launched, will be commercially successful or will achieve sales and revenue that are consistent with our expectations. The animal health industry is subject to regional and local trends and regulations and, as a result, products that are successful in some of our markets may not achieve similar success when introduced into new markets. Furthermore, the timing and cost of our R&D may increase, and our R&D may become less predictable. For example, changes in regulations applicable to our industry may make it more time-consuming and/or costly to research, develop and register products. If we are unable to generate new products or expand the use of our existing products, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially adversely affected.

New product R&D leverages discoveries of agribusiness, pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D. We have and expect to continue to enter into collaboration or licensing arrangements with third parties to provide us with access to molecules, compounds and other technology for purposes of our business. Such agreements are typically complex and require time to negotiate and implement. If we enter into these arrangements, we may not be able to maintain these relationships or establish new ones in the future on acceptable terms or at all. In addition, any collaboration that we enter into may not be successful, and the success may depend on the efforts and actions of our collaborators, which we may not be able to control. If we are unable to access these technologies to conduct R&D on cost-effective terms, our ability to develop some types of new products could be limited.

We may experience difficulties or delays in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of new products.

New products may appear promising in development but fail to reach the market within the expected or optimal timeframe, or at all. In addition, product extensions or additional indications may not be approved. Developing and commercializing new products subjects us to inherent risks and uncertainties, including (i) delayed or denied regulatory approvals, (ii) delays or challenges with producing products in

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accordance with regulatory requirements, on a commercial scale and at a reasonable cost; (iii) failure to accurately predict the market for new products; and (iv) efficacy and safety concerns. In addition, a failure to continue to identify and develop products, both internally and through external sources, could impact our future success. Once necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, the commercial success of any new product depends upon, among other things, its acceptance by veterinarians and end customers, and on our ability to successfully manufacture, market, and distribute products in sufficient quantities to meet actual demand. For example, we experienced challenges in manufacturing Apoquel when it was initially launched in 2015 that impacted our ability to meet customer demand. As a result, we had to place limits on the amounts of this product veterinarians could purchase and delayed the launch of the product in certain markets. The inability to successfully bring a product to market or a significant delay in the expected approval and related launch date of a new product could negatively impact our revenues and earnings.

Our R&D relies on evaluations in animals, which may become subject to bans or additional restrictive regulations.

The evaluation of our existing and new medicines and vaccines for animals is required in order to develop and commercialize them. Animal testing in certain industries has been the subject of controversy and adverse publicity. Some organizations and individuals have attempted to ban animal testing or encourage the adoption of additional regulations applicable to animal testing. To the extent that the activities of such organizations and individuals are successful, our R&D, and by extension our operating results and financial condition, could be materially adversely affected. In addition, negative publicity about us or our industry could harm our reputation.

Risks related to manufacturing

Manufacturing problems and capacity imbalances may cause product launch delays, inventory shortages, recalls or unanticipated costs.

In order to sell our products, we must be able to produce and ship our products in sufficient quantities. On December 31, 2019, we had a global manufacturing network consisting of 27 manufacturing sites located in 13 countries. We also employ a network of 147 third-party CMOs. Many of our products involve complex manufacturing processes and are sole-sourced from certain manufacturing sites.

Minor deviations in our manufacturing or logistical processes, such as temperature excursions or improper package sealing, could result in delays, inventory shortages, unanticipated costs, product recalls, product liability and/or regulatory action. In addition, a number of factors could cause production interruptions, including:

•	the failure of us or any of our vendors or suppliers, including logistical service providers, to comply with applicable regulations and quality assurance guidelines, including any changes to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP);

•	mislabeling;

•	construction delays;

•	equipment malfunctions;

•	shortages of materials;

•	labor problems;

•	delays in receiving any required governmental authorizations, including as a result of any prolonged shutdown of the U.S. government;

•	natural disasters;

•	power outages;

•	criminal and terrorist activities;

•	changes in manufacturing production sites and limits to manufacturing capacity due to regulatory requirements, changes in types of products produced, shipping distributions or physical limitations; and

•	the outbreak of any highly contagious diseases near our production sites.

These interruptions could result in launch delays, inventory shortages, recalls, unanticipated costs or issues with our agreements under which we supply third parties, which may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. For example, we experienced challenges in manufacturing Apoquel when it was initially launched in 2015 that impacted our ability to meet customer demand. As a result, we had to place limits on the amounts of this product veterinarians could purchase and delayed the launch of the product in certain markets. In addition, regulatory agencies in Russia and Turkey will soon no longer accept GMP certificates issued by outside authorities and instead will require country-specific GMP certification. As a result, we have been undergoing processes at the relevant manufacturing sites to satisfy their country-specific GMP requirements. Our failure to achieve these necessary certifications on a timely basis or at all could impact our ability to sell our products in these markets.

Our manufacturing network may be unable to meet the demand for our products or we may have excess capacity if demand for our products changes. The unpredictability of a product's regulatory or commercial success or failure, the lead time necessary to construct highly technical and complex manufacturing sites, and shifting customer demand (including as a result of market conditions or entry of branded or generic competition) increase the potential for capacity imbalances. In addition, construction of sites is expensive, and our ability to recover costs will depend on the market acceptance and success of the products produced at the new sites, which is uncertain.

We rely on third parties to provide us with materials and services, and are subject to increased labor and material costs and potential disruptions in supply.

The materials used to manufacture our products may be subject to availability constraints and price volatility caused by changes in demand, weather conditions, supply conditions, government regulations, economic climate and other factors. In addition, labor costs may be subject to

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volatility caused by the supply of labor, governmental regulations, economic climate and other factors. Increases in the demand for, availability or the price of, materials used to manufacture our products and increases in labor costs could increase the costs to manufacture our products, result in product delivery delays or shortages, and impact our ability to launch new products on a timely basis or at all. We may not be able to pass all or a material portion of any higher material or labor costs on to our customers, which could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

In addition, certain third-party suppliers are the sole or exclusive source of certain materials and services necessary for production of our products. We may be unable to meet demand for certain of our products if any of our third-party suppliers cease or interrupt operations, fail to renew contracts with us or otherwise fail to meet their obligations to us.

There may be delays and additional costs due to changes to our existing manufacturing facilities and the construction of new manufacturing plants.

As part of our supply network strategy, we have invested and will continue to invest in improvements to our existing manufacturing facilities and in new manufacturing plants. We are currently investing in two new plants, one in Rathdrum, Ireland for the production of active ingredients for some of our key products and one in Suzhou, China for the research and production of vaccines in China. In addition, certain of our existing manufacturing facilities are in the process of being upgraded. These types of projects are subject to risks of delay or cost overruns inherent in any large construction project, and will require licensure by various regulatory authorities. Significant cost overruns or delays in completing these projects could have an adverse effect on the Company’s return on investment.

Risks related to legal matters and regulation

Our business is subject to substantial regulation.

As a global company, we are subject to various state, federal and international laws and regulations, including regulations relating to the development, quality assurance, manufacturing, importation, distribution, marketing and sale of our products. In addition, our manufacturing facilities are subject to periodic inspections by regulatory agencies. An inspection may report conditions or practices that indicate possible violations of regulatory requirements. Our failure, or the failure of third parties we rely on, including CMOs, to comply with these regulatory requirements, allegations of such non-compliance or the discovery of previously unknown problems with a product or manufacturer could result in, among other things, inspection observation notices, warning letters or similar regulatory correspondence, fines, a partial or total shutdown of production in one or more of our facilities while an alleged violation is remediated, withdrawals or suspensions of current products from the market, and civil or criminal prosecution, as well as decreased sales as a result of negative publicity and product liability claims. Any one of these consequences could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

In addition, we will not be able to market new products unless and until we have obtained all required regulatory approvals in each jurisdiction where we propose to market those products. Even after a product reaches market, it may be subject to re-review and may lose its approvals. We have changed, and may in the future change, the locations of where certain of our products are manufactured and, because of these changes, we may be required to obtain new regulatory approvals. Our failure to obtain approvals, delays in the approval process, including any delays resulting from any prolonged shutdown of the U.S. government, or our failure to maintain approvals in any jurisdiction, may prevent us from selling products in that jurisdiction until approval or reapproval is obtained, if ever.

Furthermore, we cannot predict the nature of future laws, regulations, or changes in tax laws and tariffs, nor can we determine the effect that additional laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations could have on our business when and if promulgated, or the impact of changes in the interpretation of these laws and regulations, or of disparate federal, state, local and foreign regulatory schemes. Changes to such laws or regulations may include, among other things, changes to taxation requirements, such as tax-rate changes and changes affecting the taxation by the U.S. of income earned outside the U.S.

Changes in applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We may incur substantial costs and receive adverse outcomes in litigation and other legal matters.

Our operating results, financial condition and liquidity could be materially adversely affected by unfavorable results in pending or future litigation matters. These matters include, among other things, allegations of violation of U.S. and foreign competition laws, labor laws, consumer protection laws, and environmental laws and regulations, as well as claims or litigations relating to product liability, intellectual property, securities, breach of contract and tort. In addition, changes in the interpretations of laws and regulations to which we are subject, or in legal standards in one or more of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could increase our exposure to liability. For example, in the U.S., attempts have been made to allow damages for emotional distress and pain and suffering in connection with the loss of, or injury to, a companion animal. If such attempts were successful, our exposure with respect to product liability claims could increase materially. We also sell certain nutritional and diagnostic products used in human health that could increase the scope of our liability.

Litigation matters, regardless of their merits or their ultimate outcomes, are costly, divert management's attention and may materially adversely affect our reputation and demand for our products. We cannot predict with certainty the eventual outcome of pending or future litigation matters. An adverse outcome of litigation or legal matters could result in our being responsible for significant damages. Any of these negative effects resulting from litigation matters could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

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The misuse or off-label use of our products may harm our reputation or result in financial or other damages.

Our products have been approved for use under specific circumstances for the treatment of certain diseases and conditions in specific species. There may be increased risk of product liability claims and other liability if veterinarians, livestock producers, pet owners or others attempt to use our products off-label, including the use of our products in species (including humans) for which they have not been approved. In addition, certain of our products could be misused or abused by humans, which could expose us to liability. For example, Ketamine, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in our Ketaset product (a nonnarcotic agent for anesthetic use in cats), is abused by humans as a hallucinogen. Furthermore, the use of our products for indications other than those indications for which our products have been approved may not be effective, which could harm our reputation and lead to an increased risk of litigation. If we are deemed by a governmental or regulatory agency to have engaged in the promotion of any of our products for off-label use, such agency could request that we modify our training or promotional materials and practices and we could be subject to significant fines and penalties, and the imposition of these sanctions could also affect our reputation and position within the industry. Any of these events could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

The illegal distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit or illegally compounded versions of our products or of stolen, diverted or relabeled products could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.

Third parties may illegally distribute and sell counterfeit or illegally compounded versions of our products that do not meet the exacting standards of our development, manufacturing and distribution processes. Counterfeit or illegally compounded medicines pose a significant risk to animal health and safety because of the conditions under which they are manufactured and the lack of regulation of their contents. Counterfeit or illegally compounded products are frequently unsafe or ineffective and can be potentially life-threatening to animals. Our reputation and business could suffer harm as a result of counterfeit or illegally compounded products which are alleged to be equivalent and/or which are sold under our brand name. We are aware of at least one pharmacy in Brazil that may be engaged in the practice of illegally compounding oclacitinib, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in our Apoquel product. In addition, products stolen or unlawfully diverted from inventory, warehouses, plants or while in transit, which are not properly stored or which have an expired shelf life and which have been repackaged or relabeled and which are sold through unauthorized channels, could adversely impact animal health and safety, our reputation and our business. Public loss of confidence in the integrity of vaccines and/or pharmaceutical products as a result of counterfeiting, illegally compounding or theft could have a material adverse effect on our product sales, business and results of operations.

We are subject to complex environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.

We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These laws and regulations govern matters such as the emission and discharge of hazardous materials into the ground, air or water; the generation, use, storage, handling, treatment, packaging, transportation, exposure to, and disposal of hazardous and biological materials, including recordkeeping, reporting and registration requirements; and the health and safety of our employees. Due to our operations, these laws and regulations also require us to obtain, and comply with, permits, registrations or other authorizations issued by governmental authorities. These authorities can modify or revoke our permits, registrations or other authorizations and can enforce compliance through fines and injunctions.

Given the nature of our business, we have incurred, are currently incurring and may in the future incur, liabilities under CERCLA or under other federal, state, local and foreign environmental cleanup laws, with respect to our current or former sites, adjacent or nearby third-party sites, or offsite disposal locations. See Item 1. Business—Environmental, Health and Safety. The costs associated with future cleanup activities that we may be required to conduct or finance could be material. Additionally, we may become liable to third parties for damages, including personal injury and property damage, resulting from the disposal or release of hazardous materials into the environment. Such liability could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Furthermore, regulatory agencies are showing increasing concern over the impact of animal health products and livestock operations on the environment. This increased regulatory scrutiny may necessitate that additional time and resources be spent to address these concerns in both new and existing products.

A failure to comply with the environmental, health and safety laws and regulations to which we are subject, including any permits issued thereunder, may result in environmental remediation costs, loss of permits, fines, penalties or other adverse governmental or private actions, including regulatory or judicial orders enjoining or curtailing operations or requiring corrective measures, installation of pollution control equipment or remedial measures. We could also be held liable for any and all consequences arising out of human exposure to hazardous materials or environmental damage. Environmental laws and regulations are complex, change frequently, have tended to become more stringent and stringently enforced over time and may be subject to new interpretation. We cannot assure you that our costs of complying with current and future environmental, health and safety laws, and our liabilities arising from past or future releases of, or exposure to, hazardous materials will not materially adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

We may be unable to adequately protect our stakeholders' privacy or we may fail to comply with privacy laws.

The protection of customer, employee, supplier and company data is critical and the regulatory environment surrounding information security, storage, use, processing, disclosure and privacy is demanding, with the frequent imposition of new and changing requirements. In addition, our customers, employees and suppliers expect that we will adequately protect their personal information. Any actual or perceived significant breakdown, intrusion, interruption, cyber-attack or corruption of customer, employee or company data or our failure to comply with federal, state, local and foreign privacy laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, could result in lost sales, remediation costs, and legal liability including severe penalties, regulatory action and reputational harm. For example, the EU’s GDPR requires companies to meet certain requirements regarding the handling of personal data, including its use, protection and the rights of data subjects to request correction or deletion of their personal data. Failure to meet GDPR requirements could result in penalties of up to 4% of worldwide revenue.

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Despite our considerable efforts and investments in technology to secure our computer network, security could be compromised, confidential information could be misappropriated or system disruptions could occur. Failure to comply with the security requirements or rectify a security issue may result in fines and the imposition of restrictions on our ability to accept payment by credit or debit cards. In addition, the payment card industry (PCI) is controlled by a limited number of vendors that have the ability to impose changes in PCI's fee structure and operational requirements on us without negotiation. Such changes in fees and operational requirements may result in our failure to comply with PCI security standards, as well as significant unanticipated expenses. Such failures could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Risks related to operating in foreign jurisdictions

A significant portion of our operations are conducted in foreign jurisdictions, including jurisdictions presenting a high risk of bribery and corruption, and are subject to the economic, political, legal and business environments of the countries in which we do business.

Our international operations could be limited or disrupted by any of the following:

•	volatility in the international financial markets;

•	compliance with governmental controls;

•	difficulties enforcing contractual and intellectual property rights;

•	theft or compromise of technology, data and intellectual property;

•	parallel trade in our products (importation of our products from European Union countries where our products are sold at lower prices into European Union countries where the products are sold at higher prices);

•	compliance with a wide variety of laws and regulations, such as the FCPA and similar non-U.S. laws and regulations;

•	compliance with foreign labor laws;

•	burdens to comply with multiple and potentially conflicting foreign laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental, health and safety requirements;

•	changes in laws, regulations, government controls or enforcement practices with respect to our business and the businesses of our customers, including the imposition of limits on our profitability;

•	political and social instability, including crime, civil disturbance, terrorist activities and armed conflicts;

•	trade restrictions and restrictions on direct investments by foreign entities, including restrictions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (OFAC) and the European Union, in relation to our products or the products of farmers and other customers (e.g., restrictions on the importation of agricultural products from the European Union to Russia);

•	government limitations on foreign ownership;

•	government takeover or nationalization of business;

•	changes in tax laws and tariffs;

•	imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties or other trade-related sanctions;

•	costs and difficulties and compliance risks in staffing, managing and monitoring international operations, including the use of overseas third-party goods and service providers;

•	corruption risk inherent in business arrangements and regulatory contacts with foreign government entities;

•	longer payment cycles and increased exposure to counterparty risk; and

•	additional limitations on transferring personal information between countries or other restrictions on the processing of personal information.

In addition, international transactions may involve increased financial and legal risks due to differing legal systems and customs. Compliance with these requirements may prohibit the import or export of certain products and technologies or may require us to obtain a license before importing or exporting certain products or technology. A failure to comply with any of these laws, regulations or requirements could result in civil or criminal legal proceedings, monetary or non-monetary penalties, or both, disruptions to our business, limitations on our ability to import and export products and services, and damage to our reputation. In addition, variations in the pricing of our products between jurisdictions may result in the unauthorized importation or unauthorized re-importation of our products between jurisdictions and may also result in the imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing duties or other trade-related sanctions. While the impact of these factors is difficult to predict, any of them could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Changes in any of these laws, regulations or requirements, or the political environment in a particular country, may affect our ability to engage in business transactions in certain markets, including investment, procurement and repatriation of earnings.

In June 2016, voters in the United Kingdom (U.K.) approved an advisory referendum to withdraw from the European Union, commonly referred to as "Brexit." This referendum has created political and economic uncertainty, over the past few years, particularly in the U.K. and the European Union, and this uncertainty may persist for several years. On March 29, 2017, the U.K. formally notified the European Council of the U.K.’s intention to withdraw from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. On January 23, 2020, the U.K. government approved the Withdrawal Agreement Bill pursuant to which the U.K. exited the EU on January 31, 2020, subject to a transition period of 11 months that commenced on January 31, 2020 for trade and relationship negotiations between the U.K. and the EU. During this transition period, the U.K. is to remain part of the single EU market and its customs union, and the free movement of people between the U.K. and the EU will continue. A withdrawal of the U.K. without a trade agreement in place at the end of such transition period could significantly disrupt

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the free movement of goods, services, and people between the U.K. and the EU, and result in increased legal and regulatory complexities, as well as potential higher costs of conducting business in Europe. Additional Brexit-related impacts on our business could include potential inventory shortages in the U.K., increased regulatory burdens and costs to comply with U.K.-specific regulations and higher transportation costs for our products coming into and out of the U.K. The U.K.'s vote to exit the EU could also result in similar referendums or votes in other EU member countries in which we do business. The uncertainty surrounding the terms of the U.K.'s withdrawal and its consequences could adversely impact consumer and investor confidence, and could affect sales or regulation of our products. Any of these effects, among others, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Foreign exchange rate fluctuations and potential currency controls affect our results of operations, as reported in our financial statements.

We conduct operations in many areas of the world, involving transactions denominated in a variety of currencies. In 2019, we generated approximately 44% of our revenue in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, principally the euro, Brazilian real, Chinese renminbi, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, and U.K. pound. We are subject to currency exchange rate risk to the extent that our costs are denominated in currencies other than those in which we earn revenue. In addition, because our financial statements are reported in U.S. dollars, changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our results of operations.

We also face risks arising from currency devaluations and the imposition of cash repatriation restrictions and exchange controls. Currency devaluations result in a diminished value of funds denominated in the currency of the country instituting the devaluation. Cash repatriation restrictions and exchange controls may limit our ability to convert foreign currencies into U.S. dollars or to remit dividends and other payments by our foreign subsidiaries or businesses located in or conducted within a country imposing restrictions or controls. While we currently have no need, and do not intend, to repatriate or convert cash held in countries that have significant restrictions or controls in place, should we need to do so to fund our operations, we may be unable to repatriate or convert such cash, or be unable to do so without incurring substantial costs. We currently have substantial operations in countries that have cash repatriation restrictions or exchange controls in place, including China, and, if we were to need to repatriate or convert such cash, these controls and restrictions may have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

For example, in 2015, we recorded a net remeasurement loss of $89 million on bolivar-denominated net monetary assets, primarily related to cash deposits in Venezuela, as a result of our evaluation of evolving economic conditions in Venezuela, including the devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar in 2013.

We may not be able to realize the expected benefits of our investments in emerging markets and are subject to certain risks due to our presence in emerging markets, including political or economic instability and failure to adequately comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

We have been taking steps to increase our presence in emerging markets. Failure to continue to maintain and expand our business in emerging markets could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Some countries within emerging markets may be especially vulnerable to periods of local, regional or global economic, political or social instability or crisis. For example, our sales in certain emerging markets have suffered from extended periods of disruption due to natural disasters. Furthermore, we have also experienced lower than expected sales in certain emerging markets due to local, regional and global restrictions on banking and commercial activities in those countries. In addition, certain emerging markets have currencies that fluctuate substantially, which may impact our financial performance. For example, in the past, our revenue in certain emerging markets in Latin America has been adversely impacted by currency fluctuations and devaluations.

In addition, certain emerging markets have legal systems that are less developed or familiar to us. Other jurisdictions in which we conduct business may have legal and regulatory regimes that differ materially from U.S. laws and regulations, are continuously evolving or do not include sufficient judicial or administrative guidance to interpret such laws and regulations. Compliance with diverse legal requirements is costly and time-consuming and requires significant resources. In the event we believe or have reason to believe our employees have or may have violated applicable laws or regulations, we may be subject to investigation costs, potential penalties and other related costs which in turn could negatively affect our reputation and our results of operations.

For all these and other reasons, doing business within emerging markets carries significant risks.

Risks related to tax matters

The Company could be subject to changes in its tax rates, the adoption of new U.S. or foreign tax legislation or exposure to additional tax liabilities.

The multinational nature of our business subjects us to taxation in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Due to economic and political conditions, tax rates in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change. The company’s future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws or their interpretation.

For example, on October 9, 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the Secretariat Proposal for a “Unified Approach” under Pillar One (Pillar One Unified Approach). The Pillar One Unified Approach represents an effort by the OECD to address the tax challenges of the digital economy. The proposal does not ringfence the so-called “digital economy” and instead it seeks to allocate a greater share of taxing rights to the countries where consumers are located regardless of the physical presence of the business. In addition, on November 8, 2019 the OECD published a public consultation document for the Global Anti-Base Erosion Proposal (Pillar Two). This proposal introduces common global minimum tax rules across the countries participating in the OECD Inclusive Framework. Such rules would operate through top-up taxes and other measures if a multinational group’s income is not subject to a sufficient level of tax in particular

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jurisdictions. These two proposals combined may represent a significant change in the international tax regime. These high-level proposals, which require unanimous consent, in its early stages and specific details have yet not been developed. The potential impact to our effective tax rate is unknown at this time.

On March 29, 2017, the U.K. formally notified the European Council of the U.K.’s intention to withdraw from the European Union, commonly referred to as “Brexit”, under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. On January 23, 2020, the U.K. government approved the Withdrawal Agreement Bill pursuant to which the U.K. exited the EU on January 31, 2020, subject to a transition period of 11 months that commenced on January 31, 2020 for trade and relationship negotiations between the U.K. and the EU. At this time, the impact of Brexit to our effective tax rate remains uncertain.

In addition, our effective tax rate is subject to potential risks that various taxing authorities may challenge the pricing of our cross-border arrangements and subject us to additional tax, adversely impacting our effective tax rate and our tax liability. The company is also subject to the examination of its tax returns and other tax matters by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities and governmental bodies. The company regularly assesses the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of its provision for taxes. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these examinations. If the company’s effective tax rates were to increase, particularly in the U.S. or other material foreign jurisdictions, or if the ultimate determination of the company’s taxes owed is for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, the company’s operating results, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Risks related to intellectual property

The alleged intellectual property rights of third parties may negatively affect our business.

A third party may sue us, our distributors or licensors, or otherwise make a claim, alleging infringement or other violation of the third-party's patents, trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, trade secrets, domain names or other intellectual property rights. If we do not prevail in this type of dispute, we may be required to:

•	pay monetary damages;

•	obtain a license in order to continue manufacturing or marketing the affected products, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all; or

•	stop activities, including any commercial activities, relating to the affected products, which could include a recall of the affected products and/or a cessation of sales in the future.

The costs of defending an intellectual property action are often substantial and could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition, even if we successfully defend such action. Moreover, even if we believe that we do not infringe a validly existing third-party patent, we may choose to license such patent, which would result in associated costs and obligations. We may also incur costs in connection with an obligation to compensate a distributor, licensor or other third party. The intellectual property positions of animal health medicines and vaccines businesses frequently involve complex legal and factual questions, and an issued patent does not provide the right to practice the patented technology or to develop, manufacture or commercialize the patented product. We cannot guarantee that a competitor or other third party does not have or will not obtain rights to intellectual property that, in the absence of a license, may prevent us from manufacturing, developing or marketing certain of our products, regardless of whether we believe such intellectual property rights are valid and enforceable, which may harm our operating results and financial condition.

If our intellectual property rights are challenged or circumvented, competitors may be able to take advantage of our research and development efforts.

Our long-term success largely depends on our ability to market technologically competitive products. We rely and expect to continue to rely on a combination of intellectual property, including patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, trade secret, data protection, and domain name protection laws, as well as confidentiality and license agreements with our employees and others, to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights. If we fail to obtain and maintain adequate intellectual property protection, we may not be able to prevent third parties from using our proprietary technologies or from marketing products that are very similar or identical to ours. Our currently pending or future patent applications may not result in issued patents, or be approved on a timely basis, or at all. Similarly, any term extensions that we seek may not be approved on a timely basis, if at all. Our currently pending and granted patents may be challenged in inter partes review or opposition proceedings. In addition, our issued patents may not contain claims sufficiently broad to protect us against third parties with similar technologies or products or provide us with any competitive advantage, including exclusivity in a particular product area. The valid scope of our patent claims also may vary between countries, as individual countries have their own patent laws. For example, some countries only permit the issuance of patents covering a novel chemical compound itself, and its first use, and thus further methods of use for the same compound, may not be patentable. We may be subject to challenges by third parties regarding our intellectual property, including claims regarding validity, enforceability, scope and effective term. The validity, enforceability, scope and effective term of patents can be highly uncertain and often involve complex legal and factual questions and proceedings that differ between jurisdictions. Our ability to enforce our patents also depends on the laws of individual countries and each country's practice with respect to enforcement of intellectual property rights. In addition, if we are unable to maintain our existing license agreements or other agreements pursuant to which third parties grant us rights to intellectual property, including because such agreements expire or are terminated, our operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Changes in patent law and practice in the U.S. and other countries may also weaken our ability to enforce our patent rights, or make such enforcement financially unattractive. For instance, U.S. court decisions continue to influence changes to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Guidelines regarding inventions in the field of products isolated from nature and diagnostic methods which may influence future patenting strategy in these areas. A similar court decision was issued in Australia with regard to the patentability of nucleic acids. Patent law reforms and new case law could result in increased costs to protect our intellectual property and/or limit our ability to adequately patent our products.

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Additionally, certain foreign governments have indicated that compulsory licenses to patents may be granted in the case of national emergencies, which could diminish or eliminate sales and profits from those regions and materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Likewise, in the U.S. and other countries, we currently hold issued trademark registrations and have trademark applications pending, any of which may be the subject of a governmental or third-party objection, which could prevent the maintenance or issuance of the same and thus create the potential need to rebrand or re-label a product. As our products mature, our reliance on our trademarks to differentiate us from our competitors increases and as a result, if we are unable to prevent third parties from adopting, registering or using trademarks and trade dress that infringe, dilute or otherwise violate our trademark rights, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Many of our vaccine products and other products are based on or incorporate proprietary information, including proprietary master seeds and proprietary or patented adjuvant formulations. We actively seek to protect our proprietary information, including our trade secrets and proprietary know-how, by requiring our employees, consultants, other advisors and other third parties to execute proprietary information and confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of their employment, engagement or other relationship. Despite these efforts and precautions, we may be unable to prevent a third party from copying or otherwise obtaining and using our trade secrets or our other intellectual property without authorization and legal remedies may not adequately compensate us for the damages caused by such unauthorized use. Further, others may independently and lawfully develop substantially similar or identical products that circumvent our intellectual property by means of alternative designs or processes or otherwise.

The misappropriation and infringement of our intellectual property, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the U.S., may occur even when we take steps to prevent it. We are currently, and expect to be in the future, party to patent lawsuits and other intellectual property rights claims that are expensive and time consuming, and if resolved adversely, could have a significant impact on our business and financial condition. In the future, we may not be able to enforce intellectual property that relates to our products for various reasons, including licensor restrictions and other restrictions imposed by third parties, or the cost of enforcing our intellectual property may outweigh the value of doing so; either of which could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition.

Risks related to information technology

We may be unable to adequately protect our information technology systems from cyber-attacks, breaches of security or misappropriation of data, which could result in the disclosure of confidential information, damage our reputation, and subject us to significant financial and legal exposure.

Our reputation as a global leader in animal health and our reliance on complex information systems make us inherently vulnerable to malicious cyber intrusion and attack. Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyber-attacks could include wrongful conduct by hostile foreign governments, industrial espionage, the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, and other means to threaten data confidentiality, integrity and availability. In addition, despite our efforts to protect sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, we (or our third party partners) may be vulnerable to material security breaches, theft, misplaced or lost data, programming errors, employee errors and/or malfeasance that could potentially lead to the compromise of sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, improper use of our systems or networks, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or destruction of information (including confidential business information, trade secrets, intellectual property and corporate strategic plans), defective products, production downtimes and operational disruptions.

Like other global companies, we have experienced threats to our data and information technology systems. To date, those threats have not had a material impact on our business operations or financial condition. However, although we devote resources to protect our information technology systems, we expect cyber-attacks to continue, and there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent information security breaches that would result in business, legal or reputational harm to us, or would have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

If hackers or cyberthieves gain improper access to our technology systems, networks, or infrastructure, they may be able to access, steal, publish, delete, misappropriate, modify or otherwise disrupt access to confidential data. Moreover, additional harm to customers could be perpetrated by third parties who are given access to the confidential data. A network disruption (including one resulting from a cyberattack) could cause an interruption or degradation of service as well as permit access, theft, publishing, deletion, misappropriation, or modification to or of confidential data. Due to the evolving techniques used in cyberattacks to disrupt or gain unauthorized access to technology networks, we may not be able to anticipate or prevent such disruption or unauthorized access.

The costs imposed on us as a result of a cyberattack or network disruption could be significant. Among others, such costs could include increased expenditures on cyber security measures, litigation, regulatory investigations, fines, and sanctions, lost revenues from business interruption, damage to the public’s perception regarding our ability to keep our information secure and significant remediation costs. As a result, a cyberattack or network disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

We depend on sophisticated information technology and infrastructure.

We rely on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of complex information technology systems to manage our operations, to process, transmit and store electronic and financial information, and to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. We also depend on our information technology infrastructure for digital marketing activities and for electronic communications among our personnel, customers and suppliers around the world. System failures or outages could compromise our ability to perform these functions in a timely manner, which could harm our ability to conduct business, hurt our relationships with our customers, or delay our financial reporting. Such failures could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

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In addition, we depend on third parties and applications on virtualized (cloud) infrastructure to operate and support our information systems. These third parties include large established vendors, as well as many small, privately owned companies. Failure by these providers to adequately support our operations or a change in control or insolvency of these providers could have an adverse effect on our business, which in turn may materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

All information systems, despite implementation of security measures, are vulnerable to disability, failures or unauthorized access. If our information systems were to fail or be breached, such failure or breach could materially adversely affect our ability to perform critical business functions and sensitive and confidential data could be compromised.

We may be unable to successfully manage our online ordering sites.

In many markets around the world, such as the U.S. and Brazil, we provide online ordering sites to customers, often relying on third parties to host and support the application. The operation of our online business depends on our ability to maintain the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our online order-taking and fulfillment operations. Risks associated with our online business include: disruptions in telephone or internet service or power outages; failures of the information systems that support our website, including inadequate system capacity, computer viruses, human error, changes in programming, security breaches, system upgrades or migration of these services to new systems; reliance on third parties for computer hardware and software as well as delivery of merchandise to our customers; rapid technology changes; credit card fraud; natural disasters or adverse weather conditions; power and network outages; changes in applicable federal and state regulations; liability for online content; and consumer privacy concerns. Problems in any one or more of these areas could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition and could damage our reputation.

Risks related to our indebtedness

We have substantial indebtedness.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which could materially adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and liquidity. As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately $6.5 billion of total unsecured indebtedness outstanding. In addition, we currently have agreements for a multi-year revolving credit facility and a commercial paper program, each with a capacity of up to $1.0 billion. While we currently do not have any amounts drawn under the credit facility nor any commercial paper issued under the commercial paper program, we may incur indebtedness under these arrangements in the future.

We may incur substantial additional debt from time to time to finance working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions, or for other purposes. If we do so, the risks related to our high level of debt could intensify. Specifically, our high level of debt could have important consequences, including:

•	making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt;

•	limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, business development or other general corporate requirements, including dividends;

•	increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

•	exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as certain of our borrowings are and may in the future be at variable rates of interest;

•	limiting our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in the animal health industry;

•	placing us at a competitive disadvantage to other, less leveraged competitors;

•	impacting our effective tax rate; and

•	increasing our cost of borrowing.

In addition, the instruments governing our indebtedness contain restrictive covenants that will limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interest. For example, our credit facility contains a financial covenant requiring us to not exceed a maximum total leverage ratio and covenants that, among other things, limit or restrict our and our subsidiaries' ability, subject to certain exceptions, to incur liens, merge, consolidate or sell, transfer or lease assets, transact with affiliates and incur priority indebtedness. Our failure to comply with such covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all our debt.

We also have outstanding floating rate notes due 2021 (the “2021 floating rate notes”) that have their interest rate calculated quarterly using three-month LIBOR. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced that the FCA will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021, and it appears likely that LIBOR will be discontinued or modified by 2021. The discontinuance or modification of LIBOR, the introduction of alternative reference rates or other reforms to LIBOR could cause the interest rate calculated on our 2021 floating rate notes to be materially different than expected. In addition, if interest rates in general continue to rise, our interest expense related to the 2021 floating rate notes will increase.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal and interest on our indebtedness.

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If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to dispose of material assets or operations, alter our dividend policy, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, those alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. The instruments that will govern our indebtedness may restrict our ability to dispose of assets and may restrict the use of proceeds from those dispositions and may also restrict our ability to raise debt or equity capital to be used to repay other indebtedness when it becomes due. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain proceeds in an amount sufficient to meet any debt service obligations when due.

In addition, we conduct our operations through our subsidiaries. Accordingly, repayment of our indebtedness will depend on the generation of cash flow by our subsidiaries, including certain international subsidiaries, and their ability to make such cash available to us, by dividend, debt repayment or otherwise. Our subsidiaries may not have any obligation to pay amounts due on our indebtedness or to make funds available for that purpose. Our subsidiaries may not be able to, or may not be permitted to, make distributions to enable us to make payments in respect of our indebtedness. Each subsidiary is a distinct legal entity, and under certain circumstances, legal, tax and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from our subsidiaries. In the event that we do not receive distributions from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to make required principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.

Our inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all, may materially adversely affect our operating results, financial condition and liquidity and our ability to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness or pay dividends on our common stock.

We may not have the funds necessary to finance the change of control offer required by the indenture governing our senior notes.

Upon the occurrence of a change of control of Zoetis and a downgrade below investment grade by Moody's Investor Services, Inc. and Standard & Poor's Rating Services, we will be required to offer to repurchase all of our outstanding senior notes. However, we may not have sufficient funds available at the time of the change of control to finance the required change of control offer or restrictions in our then-existing debt instruments will not allow such repurchases. Our failure to purchase the senior notes as required under the indenture would result in a default under the indenture, which could have material adverse consequences for us and the holders of the senior notes.

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of an investment in our senior notes.

The credit ratings assigned to our senior notes are limited in scope, and do not address all material risks relating to an investment in our senior notes, but rather reflect only the view of each rating agency at the time the rating is issued. There can be no assurance that such credit ratings will remain in effect for any given period of time or that a rating will not be lowered, suspended or withdrawn entirely by the applicable rating agencies, if, in such rating agency's judgment, circumstances so warrant. Credit ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Each agency's rating should be evaluated independently of any other agency's rating. Actual or anticipated changes or downgrades in our credit ratings, including any announcement that our ratings are under further review for a downgrade, could affect the market prices of our securities and increase our borrowing costs.

Risks related to our relationship with Pfizer

Certain of our directors may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because of their positions with Pfizer.

Certain of our directors are employed or have been employed by Pfizer or may own Pfizer common stock, options to purchase Pfizer common stock or other Pfizer equity awards. Certain of these holdings may be individually significant to these directors as compared with such director's total assets. These directors' positions at Pfizer and the ownership of any Pfizer equity or equity awards may create, or may create the appearance of, conflicts of interest when these directors are faced with decisions that could have different implications for Pfizer than for us.

Pfizer's rights as licensor under the patent and know-how license could limit our ability to develop and commercialize certain products.

Under the Patent and Know-How License Agreement (Pfizer as licensor) (the Patent and Know-How License Agreement), Pfizer licenses to us certain of its intellectual property. If we fail to comply with our obligations under this license agreement and Pfizer exercises its right to terminate it, our ability to continue to research, develop and commercialize products incorporating that intellectual property will be limited. In addition, in circumstances where Pfizer has an interest in the licensed intellectual property in connection with its human health development programs, our rights to use the licensed intellectual property are restricted and/or, in limited instances, subject to Pfizer's right to terminate such license at will. These limitations and termination rights may make it more difficult, time-consuming or expensive for us to develop and commercialize certain new products, or may result in our products being later to market than those of our competitors.

We are dependent on Pfizer to prosecute, maintain and enforce certain intellectual property.

Under the Patent and Know-How License Agreement, Pfizer is responsible for filing, prosecuting and maintaining patents that Pfizer licenses to us. In the animal health field, Pfizer has the first right, and in some cases the sole right, to enforce such licensed patents, and in the human health field, subject to certain exceptions, Pfizer has the sole right to enforce the licensed patents. If Pfizer fails to fulfill its obligations or chooses to not enforce the licensed patents under this agreement, we may not be able to prevent competitors from making, using and selling competitive products, which could have an adverse effect on our business.

To preserve the tax-free treatment to Pfizer and/or its stockholders of the Exchange Offer and certain related transactions, we may not be able to engage in certain transactions.

On May 22, 2013, Pfizer announced an exchange offer (the Exchange Offer) whereby Pfizer shareholders could exchange a portion of Pfizer common stock for Zoetis common stock. The Exchange Offer was completed on June 24, 2013, resulting in the full separation of Zoetis and

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the disposal of Pfizer's entire ownership and voting interest in Zoetis. To preserve the tax-free treatment to Pfizer and/or its stockholders of the Exchange Offer and certain related transactions, under the tax matters agreement, we are restricted from taking any action that prevents such transactions from being tax-free for U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax purposes. These restrictions may limit our ability to engage in certain transactions, including taking certain actions with respect to our 3.250% Senior Notes due 2023.

If there is a later determination that the Exchange Offer or certain related transactions are taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes because the facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings underlying the IRS private letter ruling and/or any tax opinion are incorrect or for any other reason, we could incur significant liabilities.

Pfizer has received a private letter ruling from the IRS substantially to the effect that, among other things, the Exchange Offer will qualify as a transaction that is tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). Completion by Pfizer of the Exchange Offer was conditioned on, among other things, the continuing application of Pfizer's private letter ruling from the IRS and the receipt of an opinion of tax counsel, to the effect that, among other things, the Exchange Offer will qualify as a transaction that is tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code. The ruling and the opinion rely on certain facts, assumptions, representations and undertakings from Pfizer and us regarding the past and future conduct of the companies' respective businesses and other matters. If any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are incorrect or not otherwise satisfied, Pfizer and its stockholders may not be able to rely on the ruling or the opinion of tax counsel and could be subject to significant tax liabilities. Notwithstanding the private letter ruling and opinion of tax counsel, the IRS could determine on audit that the Exchange Offer or certain related transactions are taxable if it determines that any of these facts, assumptions, representations or undertakings are not correct or have been violated or if it disagrees with the conclusions in the opinion that are not covered by the private letter ruling, or for other reasons, including as a result of certain significant changes in the stock ownership of Pfizer or us after the Exchange Offer. If the Exchange Offer or certain related transactions are determined to be taxable for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we could incur significant liabilities under applicable law or under the tax matters agreement.

Risks related to our common stock

The price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially, and you could lose all or part of your investment in Zoetis common stock as a result.

There may be wide fluctuations in the market value of our common stock as a result of many factors. From our IPO through February 1, 2020, the sales price of our common stock as reported by the NYSE has ranged from a low sales price of $28.14 on April 15, 2014 to a high sales price of $143.33 on January 22, 2020. Some factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, in addition to the other risks mentioned in this section and in our 2019 Annual Report, are:

•	our operating performance and the performance of our competitors;

•	our or our competitors' press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC regarding new products or services, enhancements, significant contracts, acquisitions or strategic investments;

•	changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, if any, who cover our common stock;

•	changes in our investor base;

•	failures to meet external expectations or management guidance;

•	fluctuations in our financial results or the financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us;

•	changes in our capital structure or dividend policy, future issuances or repurchases of securities, sales of large blocks of common stock by our stockholders or the incurrence of additional debt;

•	reputational issues;

•	changes in general economic and market conditions in any of the regions in which we conduct our business;

•	the arrival or departure of key personnel;

•	the actions of speculators and financial arbitrageurs (such as hedge funds);

•	changes in applicable laws, rules or regulations and other dynamics; and

•	other developments or changes affecting us, our industry or our competitors.

In addition, if the market for stocks in our industry or industries related to our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.

While we currently pay a quarterly cash dividend to our common stockholders, we may change our dividend policy at any time.

On December 11, 2019, our Board of Directors declared the 2020 first quarter dividend of $0.20 per share to be paid on March 3, 2020, to holders of record on January 17, 2020; and on February 11, 2020, our Board of Directors declared the 2020 second quarter dividend of $0.20 per share to be paid on June 1, 2020, to holders of record on April 17, 2020. Although we currently pay a quarterly cash dividend to our common stockholders, we have no obligation to do so, and our dividend policy may change at any time without notice to our stockholders. Returns on stockholders' investments will primarily depend on the appreciation, if any, in the price of our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain most of our future earnings, if any, for use in the development and expansion of our business, repayment of indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. The declaration and payment of dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors in accordance with applicable law after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs,

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cash flows available in the U.S., impact on our effective tax rate, indebtedness, legal requirements and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant.

Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated by-laws, and Delaware law may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which we refer to as “our certificate of incorporation,” and our amended and restated by-laws, which we refer to as “our by-laws,” contain provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions include:

•	a Board of Directors that is divided into three classes with staggered terms;

•	rules regarding how our stockholders may present proposals or nominate directors for election at stockholder meetings;

•	the right of our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval;

•	limitations on the right of stockholders to remove directors;

•	limitations on the right of stockholders to act by written consent; and

•	limitations on the right of stockholders to call for special meetings.

In addition, Delaware law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock. These provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our Board of Directors determines is not in our and our stockholders' best interests.

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