Building on the discovery of insulin 100 years ago, all aspects of diabetes care – with and without insulin – have advanced significantly, leading to substantial improvements in outcomes and quality of life for people with diabetes. But the journey is not over. People with diabetes continue to have significant unmet needs.
Novo Nordisk has always regarded innovation as its core contribution to society. However, the scale of the diabetes challenge demands that we work with others to bring about the much-needed change.
Novo Nordisk aims to run a sustainable business – one that is
socially, environmentally, and financially responsible. For almost a
century, we have been committed to helping people with diabetes by
pioneering innovative medicines and making them accessible to people
all around the world.
We always want to be part of the solution, and our recently
launched social responsibility strategy to defeat diabetes is a step
in the right direction.
It consolidates many of our existing initiatives and sets out new
ambitions for the future.
Today, not enough is known about the dynamics of how urban development can drive diabetes, or how it can deliver potential health benefits to city living.
To address this, in 2014 the Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, University College London, and Novo Nordisk launched Cities Changing Diabetes. The program is designed to address the social and cultural factors that can increase type 2 diabetes vulnerability among certain people living in urban environments. Today, the program has established local partnerships in more than 30 cities around the world, reaching more than 150 million individuals, to help prevent and control urban diabetes.
The Cities Changing Diabetes program is built on three
interconnected elements: Map, Share, and Act. The program enables
cities to understand their own urban diabetes challenge, to set goals
for halting the rise of type 2 diabetes in their city, and to work
across sectors and disciplines to unite stakeholders behind a common
cause.
Through the program, partner cities get a global overview of the
challenges associated with urban diabetes and have access to key
insights and learnings from solutions that are being driven around the
world.