Novo Nordisk A/S vedtog på sit årsmøde torsdag at lægge det økonomiske fundament for yderligere ti års sukkersygebekæmpelse i verdens u-lande via en donation på 654 millioner kr. De mange penge går til den dansk-baserede World Diabetes Foundation, fremgår det af en pressemeddelelse. Thursday at the Annual General Assembly of Novo Nordisk A/S, the shareholders agreed to the following proposal by Chairman of the Board, Mr Göran Ando: “The Board of Directors of Novo Nordisk A/S wishes to secure that the WDF is able to continue to fund projects after expiry of the current donation in 2017 and proposes a donation by Novo Nordisk to the WDF (World Diabetes Foundation) of an amount up to a total of maximum 654 million Danish kroner.” “This amount is to be granted as individual annual contributions over a period of 10 years as from the financial year 2015 through to the financial year 2024.” Taknemlig fondsdirektør “We are extremely grateful for this additional endowment. We see this as a sign of great trust in the work of the Foundation and our implementing partners. This generous contribution will enable us to continue to carry out our mission and make a lasting impact for people living with diabetes in developing countries,” says WDF Managing Director, Dr Anders Dejgaard. Today’s additional amount brings the total endowments from Novo Nordisk A/S to a total of DKK 1.75 billion in the period from 2001 to 2024, equal to an estimated USD 326.2 million. Alene penge til u-landene Worldwide, diabetes is estimated to rise 55 per cent over the next twenty years. The majority of this increase will take place in today’s developing countries, most notably with a 109 per cent increase in Africa. This poses immense challenges to health systems which are not geared to tackle the tsunami of diabetes which follows in the wake of urbanisation trends and economic growth. The mission statement of the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) is “to alleviate human suffering related to diabetes and its complications among those least able to withstand the burden of disease.” As a consequence of this particular poverty focus, the Foundation only grants funds to developing countries defined by the OECD DAC list. Since its inception in 2002, WDF has distributed USD 110.1 million (DKK 590.7 million) to 336 projects in 108 developing countries. The total project portfolio has reached USD 307 million, and for every dollar distributed by WDF, local implementing partners raise approximately USD 2 which emphasises the desired multiplier effect. The WDF strives to keep its administration costs at a reasonable level. In 2013, administrative costs amounted to 8.8% of the total income. En svøbe, der breder sig – hurtigt * 382 million people live with diabetes globally. This number is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035. * 316 million people globally have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) which is the pre-stage for diabetes. * This number is expected to rise to 471 million by 2035. The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes where insulin sensitivity is lowered and the ability to produce enough insulin to maintain blood sugar at a stable level is insufficient. Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease often caused by overweight and obesity (fedme). Kapløb med sydommen i u-landene The wave of urbanisation worldwide pushes this dramatic increase in diabetes as people tend to have less physical activity and consume more processed foods when they move to the cities In developing countries, diabetes is often not diagnosed until a complication occurs. Well-known complications are foot ulcers (åbne, kroniske sår) and eye disease sometimes leading to amputations or blindness. The Foundation is registered as an independent trust governed by a board of seven experts in the field of access to health and development assistance. The establishment of WDF was announced by its founding father Novo Nordisk A/S on World Diabetes Day 2002. Se også blogindlægget på http://www.u-landsnyt.dk/blog/69/diabetes-er-en-global-folkesygdom Mere på www.worlddiabetesfoundation.org Yderligere oplysninger hos: Jamal Butt, Communication Manager E-mail: [email protected] Tlf. 30 75 47 36
