According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are 387 million people living with diabetes today (1 in every 8 people), and an expected increase of 205 million additional cases by 2035 if appropriate action is not taken. An added complication, nearly 1 in 2 people that have diabetes are undiagnosed, and in many cases, unaware they have the disease.
The member companies and associations of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) endorse the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and are committed to reducing the global burden of NCDs. Working towards Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, as well as the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on NCDs, IFPMA outlines the steps it is taking to address the rise of NCDs in the developing world in its recently launched “Framework for Action for the Prevention and Control of NCDs”.
Visit the IFPMA Health Partnerships Directory to view health partnerships that improve awareness, prevention, treatment and diagnosis of diabetes, including over 40 case-studies with photos, videos and testimonies from both people working to implement partnerships on the ground, and those who have felt health partnerships change their lives.
Partnerships include raising awareness of diabetes in schools, so that children with diabetes are better taken care of by their teachers; training healthcare workers in caring for diabetes on a wide-scale, or for specific groups such as women with gestational diabetes; differential pricing in low and middle income countries to widen the availability of diabetes medicines; helping governments better understand diabetes disease management, and preventing diabetes amputations through early intervention strategies.
The Directory also showcases pan-industry wide initiatives run through IFPMA, including work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the promotion of 4 Healthy Habits to reduce the risk of NCDs, and the use of new technologies in promoting healthy behaviors, such as SMS notifications as part of the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) Be He@lthy, Be Mobile partnership.
The number of patients with diabetes in middle-income countries (MICs) is growing particularly rapidly. This World Diabetes Day, we also mark the launch of a study from Charles River Associates, examining the value of treatment for diabetes to patients, the healthcare system, and wider society in MICs, with a focus on China.
