While there's no ironclad method for picking perfectly safe stocks, thankfully there are a few dividend-paying companies that are a bit less risky than average -- as a result of their history of effective competition and their management's skill at executing their business models. Both of the stocks I'll review in a moment are likely to keep growing and paying their shareholders for a very long time, and that means you aren't likely to regret making a purchase. When it comes to appealing biopharma dividend stocks that investors can depend on, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) is near the top of the list.