Changing Diabetes® Children: therapies and training for more than 20 thousand children with type 1 diabetes in developing countries by 2020
Ensuring access to diabetes treatment and free insulin for children with type 1 diabetes in developing countries: this is the goal of the Changing Diabetes ® in Children program, already active since 2009, which will continue for another four years, according to Novo Nordisk’s announcement on World Diabetes Day. The program will thus enable the provision of treatment and education to more than 20 thousand children by 2020. The extension will involve five new countries: Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Senegal and Sudan.
Ten years ago, a child in Sub Saharan Africa had a life expectancy of one year 1 after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. To support sustainable quality of care and improvement in diagnosis Novo Nordisk has created the Changing Diabetes ® in Children program that has so far empowered 13.700 children in nine countries in Africa and Southeast Asia to receive free insulin and access to diabetes therapies.
“The Changing Diabetes ® in Children program is exemplary,” said prof. Azad Khan, president of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh. “It has changed the lives of children with type 1 diabetes in Bangladesh. Their survival depends on the provision of insulin as much as education on how to manage diabetes, and the program is dedicated to providing both.”.
Many children participating in the program are demonstrating good control and have the opportunity to live healthier lives. To date, 108 clinics have been established in the countries where the program is active, and more than 7 thousand health professionals have been trained in the treatment of diabetes.
In addition to providing access to insulin, the Changing Diabetes ® in Children program aims to foster the development of sustainable health care systems. “The provision of free medicine alone does not solve problematic health challenges. Since the program began, we have therefore worked closely with local partners to provide sustainable solutions to improve the lives of children with type 1 diabetes today and in the future,” said Lars Rebien Sørensen, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk.
Changing Diabetes ® in Children
The program is a collaboration of Novo Nordisk, Roche, ISPAD (International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes ® ) and WDF (World Diabetes ® Federation). In each of the nine nations involved to date (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh and India) the program is implemented in the form of a public-private partnership with a group of local organizations. Ministries of Health in these countries play a key role in making sure that Changin Diabetes ® in Children integrates robustly into the pre-existing health care system.
Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is an international pharmaceutical company with more than 90 years of research, innovation and leadership in the treatment of diabetes. This wealth of knowledge has given us the knowledge that we can help other people afflicted with serious chronic diseases: hemophilia, growth disorders, and obesity’obesity. Based in Denmark, Novo Nordisk has approximately 42.600 employees in 75 countries and markets its products in more than 180 countries.