BASIS OF PRESENTATION

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis Of Presentation [Text Block]

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (which may be referred to as Bristol-Myers Squibb, BMS or the Company) prepared these unaudited consolidated financial statements following the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim reporting. Under those rules, certain footnotes and other financial information that are normally required for annual financial statements can be condensed or omitted. The Company is responsible for the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-Q. These consolidated financial statements include all normal and recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position at June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, and the results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014, and cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. These unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014 included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K (2014 Form 10-K).

Revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities can vary during each quarter of the year. Accordingly, the results and trends in these unaudited consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of full year operating results. The preparation of financial statements requires the use of management estimates and assumptions. The most significant assumptions are employed in estimates used in determining the fair value and potential impairment of intangible assets; sales rebate and return accruals; legal contingencies; income taxes; estimated selling prices used in multiple element arrangements; and pension and postretirement benefits. Actual results may differ from estimated results.

Certain prior period amounts were reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Pension settlements and amortization previously presented in Other in the consolidated statements of cash flows are now presented separately.

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued amended guidance on the use and presentation of discontinued operations in an entity's consolidated financial statements. The new guidance restricts the presentation of discontinued operations to business circumstances when the disposal of business operations represents a strategic shift that has or will have a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. The guidance became effective on January 1, 2015.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new standard related to revenue recognition, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The new standard will replace most of the existing revenue recognition standards in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. In July 2015, the FASB decided to delay the effective date by one year to January 1, 2018. Early adoption is permitted no earlier than 2017. The new standard can be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of the change recognized at the date of the initial application in retained earnings. The Company is assessing the potential impact of the new standard on financial reporting and has not yet selected a transition method.