Novo Nordisk Partners with Ministry of Health to Prevent Diabetes

November 14, 2012 /3BL Media/ - Today, Novo Nordisk entered into a public private partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Health to prevent diabetes through a health promotion programme targeting young couples. The Jom Mama programme builds on research showing that women entering pregnancy overweight or obese increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, in both mother and child in later years of life.

“The 2011 National Health and Morbidity Survey has shown that the prevalence of diabetes in Malaysia has increased 31.0% in the space of just 5 years, from 11.6% in 2006 to the current 15.2% (equivalent to 2.6 million) for adult Malaysians 18 years and above,” says Dato’ Sri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman, Director General of Health, Malaysia. “Since 2010, a national strategic plan for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases has been developed. Through the Institute of Health Systems Research, we will finalise details for this collaboration, working closely with Novo Nordisk, the academic partners and all relevant divisions within Ministry of Health.”

“We are proud to have the Ministry as a partner in our commitment to changing diabetes in Malaysia,” says Charlotte Ersbøl, corporate vice president, Novo Nordisk. “Preventing diabetes is a tremendous global challenge. We need innovative and effective solutions, and these require aligning our strengths and working towards shared goals.”

Co-creating better health

The Jom Mama programme will be designed in co-creation with healthcare providers and community leaders to meet the needs of young couples in improving their health before pregnancy. The co-created intervention aims to increase healthy literacy, encourage adoption of healthy choices and provide support to improve physical activity.

Together with Novo Nordisk, the implementation of the programme will be led by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Steno Diabetes Center Denmark, University of Southampton UK, and the University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg. The programme will initially run as a three-year study to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative outcomes for effectiveness in reducing exposure to diabetes risk factors such as obesity.

The Jom Mama programme is the first research project worldwide under Novo Nordisk’s Changing Future Health programme to prevent diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. The Changing Future Health programme is based on developmental origins of health and disease research and advocates for early interventions across the life course as an important means to prevent chronic disease.

“The Health Ministry looks forward to a fruitful collaboration for this innovative research,” says the Director General of Health.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with 89 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within haemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 33,900 employees in 75 countries, and markets its products in more than 190 countries. Novo Nordisk’s B shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen (Novo-B). Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NVO). For more information, visit novonordisk.com.

Novo Nordisk strives to conduct its activities in a financially, environmentally and socially responsible way. The strategic commitment to corporate sustainability has brought the company onto centre stage as a leading player in today’s business environment, recognised for its integrated reporting, stakeholder engagement and consistently high sustainability performance. In 2012, Novo Nordisk received the top ranking on Corporate Knight’s list of Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. Novo Nordisk is listed in the 2010/2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices with a gold class rating. For more information, visit novonordisk.com/sustainability