Diabetes Advocates Call For National Strategy, Leadership to Reduce Diabetes and...

Diabetes Advocates Call For National Strategy, Leadership to Reduce Diabetes
and Advance Detection and Treatment
E-petition Urges Congress, President to Create National Diabetes Coordinator

WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Changing Diabetes((R))
Program (NCDP) recently called for the creation of a National Diabetes
Coordinator to develop and implement a nationwide strategy to reduce the
incidence of diabetes and its devastating complications.

A study commissioned by NCDP showed that 18 of 21 federal agencies impact the
disease of diabetes. The coordinator would be responsible for establishing
priorities in the fight against diabetes and aligning efforts across all
agencies to eliminate duplication and maximize impact.

"While mortality rates of major diseases such as cancer, heart disease and
stroke are down, diabetes rates continue to rise," said Dana Haza, Senior
Director of the NCDP, an initiative created by Novo Nordisk to drive systems
change at the national and local level. "It is impossible for 18 agencies to
coordinate a response without designated oversight and leadership. That's why
we must take immediate action to align all diabetes efforts with a national
strategy if we are going to succeed in the fight against this costly and
debilitating illness."

The NCDP launched an e-petition so that the diabetes community can voice its
support for new government leadership dedicated to fighting diabetes and
pre-diabetes, which cost the nation more than $218 billion each year in
medical expenses and lost productivity. The e-petition, which is targeted to
Congress and the Obama Administration and is designed to show a groundswell of
support for a National Diabetes Coordinator, is available at
www.ncdp.com/coordinator.

"There is no doubt that diabetes is an epidemic that needs to be addressed at
the highest levels of government," Haza said. "Today there are 24 million
Americans diagnosed with diabetes and another 57 million with pre-diabetes."

The coordinator would be responsible for developing and implementing a
national strategy to reduce the incidence, progression and impact of diabetes
by linking government agencies with public and private sector efforts. This
coordination would extend across federal and state levels to community public
health agencies.

"By harnessing all these government resources, we will be able to increase
detection of diabetes and improve the care of those who have the disease,
maximize treatment and research into new medicines, and work aggressively to
prevent the disease in populations at greatest risk," said Lana Vukovljak,
Chief Executive Officer at the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
"All this will be done with an eye toward saving taxpayers money through
better alignment of government resources.

Among the NCDP member associations in support of the National Diabetes
Coordinator position are The American Diabetes Association (ADA), American
Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), American Association of Clinical
Endocrinologists (AACE), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and
American Optometric Association (AOA).

"The social and economic costs of diabetes are staggering to American
patients, families, and humanity as a whole. A National Diabetes Coordinator
will help ensure coordination of diabetes research, education and outreach
efforts across the spectrum of federal agencies."
Ted Epperly, MD
President, AAFP

"Our hope is that the creation of a National Diabetes Coordinator will provide
the leadership necessary to promote and encourage early diagnosis and
treatment, and efficiently and effectively reduce the incidence, progression
and impact of diabetes - ultimately saving lives, America's vision and
taxpayer resources."
Peter H. Kehoe, O.D.
President, AOA

About Diabetes
Known as the "silent killer," diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the
U.S. In addition to its effects on the nation's health, diabetes also takes a
toll on the economy. The direct and indirect economic costs for diagnosed
diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes and gestational diabetes in 2007
were an estimated $218 billion, according to a recent Lewin Group study
commissioned by NCDP. In 2005, the federal government spent nearly $80
billion on diabetes treatment, with only $4 billion of this amount invested in
prevention and health promotion.

Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes and another 57 million have
pre-diabetes. Research shows that a child born after the year 2000 has a one
in three chance of developing diabetes, and minority children have a one in
two chance of developing diabetes.

About the National Changing Diabetes((R)) Program
The National Changing Diabetes((R)) Program (NCDP) is a multi-faceted
initiative that brings together leaders in diabetes and policy to improve the
lives of people with diabetes. NCDP strives to create change in the U.S.
health care system to provide dramatic improvement in the prevention and care
of diabetes. Launched in 2005, NCDP is a program of Novo Nordisk. For more
information, please visit www.ncdp.com.

About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company with an 86-year history of innovation and
achievement in diabetes care. The company has the broadest diabetes product
portfolio in the industry, including the most advanced products within the
area of insulin delivery systems. In addition to diabetes care, Novo Nordisk
has a leading position within areas such as hemostasis management, growth
hormone therapy, and hormone therapy for women. Novo Nordisk's business is
driven by the Triple Bottom Line: a commitment to social responsibility to
employees and customers, environmental soundness and economic success. With
headquarters in Denmark, Novo Nordisk employs more than 27,550 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'. For global
information, visit novonordisk.com; for United States information, visit
novonordisk-us.com.

SOURCE National Changing Diabetes Program

Sean Clements of Novo Nordisk, +1-609-514-8400, secl@novonordisk.com; or Susan
Bro of Media Mind, +1-615-440-2799, susan@mediamindsite.com; or Tony Plohoros
of Media Mind, +1-908-940-0135, tony@mediamindsite.com