Novo Nordisk launches new social responsibility strategy to defeat diabetes

With the strategy, Novo Nordisk’s long-term ambition is to provide access to affordable care to vulnerable patients in every country and accelerate prevention to halt the rise of diabetes.

At a time of acute global health need, Novo Nordisk today announced the launch of a new social responsibility strategy: ‘Defeat Diabetes’. The strategy strengthens Novo Nordisk’s commitment and introduces new long-term ambitions to provide access to affordable diabetes care to vulnerable patients in every country and to ensure that no child should die from type 1 diabetes.

Today, one in every 11 people in the world has diabetes, a figure that is projected to rise to one in nine by 2045 if action is not taken. Diabetes places a great burden on health systems, and Novo Nordisk is committed to work with health authorities and other partners in the countries where it operates, to prevent and treat the disease.

“Our purpose to defeat diabetes is necessary now more than ever as diabetes continues to rise, and at a time when the world is suffering from the most devastating pandemic in recent times,” said Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk. “In addition to innovative medicine, we are committed to help societies defeat diabetes by accelerating prevention to halt the rise of the disease and providing access to affordable care to vulnerable patients in every country. Vulnerability has many faces, and diabetes hits the hardest in vulnerable communities. I am proud that we are stepping up our efforts and working in partnerships to tackle the diabetes crisis at a time of profound need.”

As a first step in our ambition to provide access to affordable insulin to vulnerable patients in every country, Novo Nordisk is reducing the ceiling price of human insulin, which are part of the company’s existing Access to Insulin Commitment. This applies to Least Developed Countries as defined by the UN, other low-income countries as defined by the World Bank and middle-income countries where large low-income populations lack sufficient health coverage.