Recognised as a disease by the World Health Organization, obesity is serious, progressive and chronic. It affects nearly one billion people worldwide.
We continue to learn more every day about the complexity and the science behind this disease. Researching how genes, metabolism and hormones work together is starting to show us why some people are more susceptible to obesity, and which factors increase the risk of developing obesity and its related complications.
Our mission
At Novo
Nordisk, treating – and ultimately, preventing – obesity is central
to our enduring purpose of driving change to defeat serious chronic diseases.
In addition to biological factors, many aspects of a person's general well-being, environment and lifestyle can also cause weight gain. Where a person lives and the culture that surrounds them can influence their risk of developing obesity.
Obesity puts people at risk of developing other diseases, too, including diabetes,heart and liver diseases, cancers and many more. In addition, individuals living with obesity frequently face stigma, discrimination and mental health problems.
For over 100 years, our company has been at the forefront of developing treatments for diabetes. Now, building on more than 25 years of obesity research, we are pioneering the medical management of obesity.
We are uncovering more about the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone and the role it plays in achieving successful weight loss.
Our scientists have studied how synthetic GLP-1 molecules can be used to suppress appetite, increase energy expenditure and spur long-lasting weight loss.
Our goal is to provide a broad portfolio of innovative and solutions to support the growing number of people with obesity as part of their long-term journey towards better health. Learn more about our ambitious R&D pipeline.
Are you living with obesity, or know someone who is? Our patient support site, TruthAboutWeight, provides more information on obesity and resources to manage it.
Continuing to deepen and expand our civil society partnerships to prevent obesity, we seek to understand what interventions work at a local level and scale what we learn to a global level, supporting the crucial work of the many others committed to preventing obesity.
We have created a Transformational Prevention Unit with a mission to stop the global rise in obesity and reverse the trend. This unit will explore new commercial models and multi-sector collaborations in the search for novel, holistic and personalised obesity solutions.
Learn more: Prevention
