v3.20.4
Other (Income)/Deductions - Net - Schedule of Other Nonoperating Income (Expense) - Footnotes (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Millions
 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Sep. 30, 2018
Jul. 01, 2018
Dec. 31, 2020
Dec. 31, 2019
Dec. 31, 2018
Apr. 30, 2018
Derivative [Line Items]              
Interest costs capitalized       $ 96 $ 88 $ 73  
Unrealized gain on equity securities [1]       515 429 477  
Available-for-sale debt securities, gross realized loss           (402)  
Available-for-sale debt securities, gross realized gain           280  
Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale debt securities           5,700  
Intangible asset impairments       1,691 2,800 3,100  
Change in fair value of fair value contingent consideration liabilities           207  
External incremental costs         152 112  
Net losses on early retirement of debt         (138)    
Gain on investments in equity securities [2],[3]       540 454 586  
IPR&D [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments [4]       900      
IPR&D [Member] | Multi-Antigen Vaccine For Spinal Fusion Surgery [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments           117  
Licensing Agreements [Member] | Other Nonoperating Income (Expense) [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds received from upfront payments and milestone payments       108 52 118  
Puma Technologies [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds received from upfront payments and milestone payments       40      
Eli Lilly & Company [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds received from upfront payments and milestone payments       30      
Mylan [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds received from upfront payments and milestone payments         78    
Shire [Member] | Licensing Agreements [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds from licensing arrangement           110  
Shire [Member] | Licensing Agreements [Member] | Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds from licensing arrangement           75  
Shire [Member] | Licensing Agreements [Member] | Treatment of Crohn’s Disease [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds from licensing arrangement           35  
Merck [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Proceeds received from upfront payments and milestone payments           40  
Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | CK1 Assets Sold To Biogen, Inc [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Cash received for disposition $ 75     75      
Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member] | Phase 2b Ready AMPA Receptor Potentiator For CIAS [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Cash received for disposition           85 $ 75
Foreign Exchange Contract [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Debt Securities [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Loss on derivative instruments, net, pretax           18  
Accounting Standards Update 2016-01 [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unrealized gain on equity securities           477  
BioNTech and SpringWorks [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unrealized gain on equity securities       405      
Cortexyme, Inc. and SpringWorks [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unrealized gain on equity securities         295    
Allogene [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Unrealized gain on equity securities           466  
Gain from contribution agreement     $ 50     50  
ViiV [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Dividend income       278 220 253  
Cerevel [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Gain on investments in equity securities $ 20            
Cerevel [Member] | Bain Capital [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Gain on investments in equity securities   $ 343       343  
Distribution Rights [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Gain related to sale of intangible assets           50  
Developed Technology Rights [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments [4]       791      
Array [Member] | IPR&D [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments       900      
Anacor [Member] | Developed Technology Rights [Member] | Eucrisa [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments       528 $ 2,600    
Hospira [Member] | Licensing Agreements [Member] | Generic Sterile Injectable Product [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments           242  
Hospira [Member] | IPR&D [Member] | Generic Sterile Injectable Product [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments           80  
Hospira [Member] | Developed Technology Rights [Member] | Generic Sterile Injectable Product [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Intangible asset impairments       263   $ 2,600  
ViiV [Member]              
Derivative [Line Items]              
Change in fair value of fair value contingent consideration liabilities       $ 105      
[1] Included in net unrealized gains are observable price changes on equity securities without readily determinable fair values. Since January 1, 2018, there were cumulative impairments and downward adjustments of $81 million and upward adjustments of $61 million. Impairments, downward and upward adjustments were not significant in 2020, 2019 and 2018
[2] (b)2020 gains include, among other things, unrealized gains of $405 million related to investments in BioNTech and SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. (SpringWorks). 2019 gains included, among other things, unrealized gains of $295 million related to investments in Cortexyme, Inc. and SpringWorks. 2018 gains included unrealized gains on equity securities of $477 million, reflecting the adoption of a new accounting standard in 2018 and were primarily driven by unrealized gains of $466 million related to our investment in Allogene. See Notes 2B and 7B.
[3] Reported in Other (income)/deductions––net. See Note 4.
[4] Reflects intangible assets written down to fair value in 2020. Fair value was determined using the income approach, specifically the multi-period excess earnings method, also known as the discounted cash flow method. We started with a forecast of all the expected net cash flows for the asset and then applied an asset-specific discount rate to arrive at a net present value amount. Some of the more significant estimates and assumptions inherent in this approach include: the amount and timing of the projected net cash flows, which includes the expected impact of competitive, legal and/or regulatory forces on the product; the discount rate, which seeks to reflect the various risks inherent in the projected cash flows; and the tax rate, which seeks to incorporate the geographic diversity of the projected cash flows.