Novo Nordisk Extends Programme Of Free Insulin And Diabetes Care To Reach 700 Children In Bangladesh

Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 12 Nov 2009 - 2:00 PST

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Novo Nordisk cannounced that it would extend the Changing Diabetes® in Children programme to include Bangladesh. This is the sixth country to get diabetes care, including free insulin, for children with type 1 diabetes under this programme. In Bangladesh, the five year project is a joint initiative between Novo Nordisk and the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB), supported by the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF).

The project includes the setting-up of three dedicated paediatric diabetes clinics for diagnosis and treatment of children with type 1 diabetes. In addition to basic diabetes care and free insulin, the clinics will also provide patient education and registration, and training for healthcare professionals. Eight doctors and eight diabetes educators will support the clinics to ensure proper follow-up with all children enrolled in the project.

In partnership with LifeScan Inc., the project will provide blood glucose monitoring supplies (glucometers and strips) to children enrolled in the programme.

Bangladesh is one of the countries in the world with the lowest healthcare spending per capita. According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are some 14,300 children living with type 1 diabetes in Bangladesh. Diabetes care is mostly provided through DAB and its 57 affiliated associations around the country.

"Currently, children with diabetes are managed primarily by adult diabetes clinics or general medical outpatient clinics, but treating diabetes in children is not the same as treating diabetes in adults," says Professor Azad Khan, president of DAB.

In Bangladesh, many children with type 1 diabetes come from poor socioeconomic backgrounds and their families cannot afford to pay for diabetes care and insulin. This is why Bangladesh has been chosen as the sixth country in Novo Nordisk's ambitious five-year programme.

"We believe that access to diabetes care is not only about bringing life-saving medicines to people who need them. It starts earlier and reaches further. It's about working in partnership to develop a structured diabetes care model," says Leif Fenger Jensen, vice president, Strategic Operations of Novo Nordisk.

The Changing Diabetes® in Children programme is part of Novo Nordisk's Access to Diabetes Care strategy and builds on the UN-defined cornerstones in the right to health. The programme was launched earlier this year and is pursuing an initial roll-out in the five sub-Saharan countries Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Conakry, Tanzania and Uganda. Novo Nordisk hopes that by expanding the programme to Bangladesh and eventually to many more countries in the coming years, many more children will be saved.

By the end of each five-year project, it is Novo Nordisk's aim, that a sustainable cooperation with local partners, including governments and diabetes associations, has created a number of well-functioning diabetes clinics, built on a solid national capacity and general awareness in the field of diagnosis and treatment of type 1 diabetes in children.

Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and a world leader in diabetes care. In addition, Novo Nordisk has a leading position within areas such as haemostasis management, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and services that make a significant difference to patients, the medical profession and society. With headquarters in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 29,000 employees in 81 countries, and markets its products in 179 countries. Novo Nordisk's B shares are listed on the stock exchanges in Copenhagen and London. Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'NVO'.

Source: Novo Nordisk