Novo Nordisk Vietnam Ltd.’s first shipment of its products as a Foreign Invested Enterprise (FIE) with the Certificate of Satisfaction of Pharmaceutical Business Condition in Vietnam

Novo Nordisk Vietnam Ltd.’s first shipment of its products as a Foreign Invested Enterprise on July 9, marked a new era in the company's expansion, strengthening its dedication to serving patients in Vietnam. As a fully functional FIE, Novo Nordisk becomes an independent importer of its innovative products, expands local operations and creates new job opportunities for local talents.

According to the International Diabetes Federation Atlas 2021, there are nearly four million adult people in Vietnam living with Type 2 diabetes. However, the diagnosis rate is only 50 per cent, so only two million people are diagnosed with the condition. Of these, 65% had complications at diagnosis, including heart disease, kidney failure and limb amputation, which not only caused personal loss but also put a significant financial burden on the government and society ¹. In addition, the increasing emergence of Type 1 diabetes ²  is adding to the healthcare challenges that Vietnam is facing. According to the World Obesity Atlas 2022, Vietnam has a recorded a very high annual increase in childhood obesity, mostly in its big cities ³.

Over the past decade, Novo Nordisk Vietnam has worked closely with the Ministry of Health and the Danish Embassy, hospital partners and eminent associations like the Vietnam Association of Diabetes and Endocrinology to transform the Type 2 diabetes treatment landscape. These partnerships have included developing physician capability building initiatives, raising public awareness and shaping health care policy ⁴.

Erik Wiebols, Vice President & General Manager, Novo Nordisk Viet Nam sharing the company’s commitment to enhancing better patient care in Vietnam

Since June 2024, Novo Nordisk Vietnam together with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, the Danish Embassy and the Vietnam Pediatric Association have embarked on a new public-private partnership . The four partners will focus on strategic initiatives that transcend borders, leveraging collective expertise and experiences to tackle pressing health issues. The focus of the collaboration will be on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as they pose a significant threat to public health in Vietnam. Among these, diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) and obesity stand out as serious chronic diseases affecting millions of people in Vietnam. The complications associated with these two diseases are numerous, impacting not only physical health, but also the quality of life of patients. By centering the collaboration on chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, the collaboration aims to develop innovative solutions, improve prevention strategies and enhance patient care.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs 66,000 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube.

Novo Nordisk’s products has had a presence in Vietnam for over 30 years, with the first human insulin brought to Vietnam in 1992. Novo Nordisk established representative offices in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011 and then Ha Noi in 2015. Our commitment to driving change in diabetes and other chronic diseases is not just about developing innovative medicines, it's about supporting/improving healthcare system capacity and ensuring that our medicine reaches those who need them the most.

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¹  Vietnam Social Security, https://tapchibaohiemxahoi.gov.vn/nang-cao-hieu-qua-quan-ly-chi-phi-benh-dai-thao-duong-90998.html 

² https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/The-thao-Y-te/Quyet-dinh-1760-QD-BYT-2024-tai-lieu-chuyen-mon-chan-doan-benh-dai-thao-duong-tip-1-o-tre-em-614368.aspx

³ https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wof-files/World_Obesity_Atlas_2022.pdf: page 275

⁴ https://moh.gov.vn/chuong-trinh-muc-tieu-quoc-gia/-/asset_publisher/7ng11fEWgASC/content/viet-nam-va-an-mach-phoi-hop-ho-tro-cham-soc-tot-hon-benh-ai-thao-uong?inheritRedirect=false; https://daithaoduong.kcb.vn/dao-tao-tap-huan-hon-200-giang-vien-va-2000-can-bo-y-te-ve-cham-soc-benh-dai-thao-duong

⁵ https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1658090/denmark-and-viet-nam-continue-to-improve-diabetes-diagnosis-and-treatment.html