Our social responsibility strategy introduces new long-term ambitions in three areas critical to helping improve individual and public health:
- Preventing the rise of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
- Providing access to affordable care for vulnerable patients in every country.
- Driving innovation to improve lives.
Today, one in every 11 people in the world has diabetes, a figure that is projected to rise to one in nine by 2045 if action is not taken.
Diabetes places a great burden on health systems, and we are committed to work with health authorities and other partners in the countries where we operate, to prevent and treat the disease.
Cities are on the front line for diabetes. Two-thirds of people with diabetes globally live in cities. And the highest growth in diabetes is expected to happen in urban settings.1
That’s why we started Cities Changing Diabetes with University College London and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen. We believe that the growing prevalence of diabetes, especially in cities, is not inevitable. By partnering with cities, we can help communities understand their unique diabetes challenges, identify areas and populations at greatest risk and design and implement targeted solutions.
We have programs in Houston and in Philadelphia. As of 2020, six initiatives reach, empower and connect more than 75,000 Houstonians to improve diabetes prevention and management.
Anthony Anderson, actor and comedian, has lived with type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. Since 2017, he is the Get Real About Diabetes™ spokesperson and now invites people with type 2 diabetes to change how they think about their disease. It’s more than managing blood sugar. It's also about managing risks, like the increased cardiovascular risks.
1. International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas Eighth Edition 2017. 2017: 7-18. Accessed May 2019.