Collaboration to fight NCDs | Boehringer Ingelheim

Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer are severe chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). 70 percent of global deaths are attributable to NCDs and severely impacting on people in low- and middle-income countries. Help is desperately needed: every year, around 40 million people worldwide die because of NCDs such as diabetes and cancer.

Addressing unmet needs in NCDs is part of the More Health pillar – one of three pillars within Boehringer Ingelheim’s “Sustainable Development – For Generations” framework. The NCD initiative is aiming to reduce NCD prevalence and capture the impact of our product portfolio for our patients. Reducing NCDs is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to sustainable values that have guided the company over the course of our 130-year history. As a globally operating pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim’s health experts are in the best position to contribute their knowledge and expertise to combat NCDs. We’re working to form long-term partnerships between our company, multilateral organizations, social institutions and communities in need, and to enable sustainable development for generations. The partnership aspect is therefore not only crucial to tackle complex challenges but also to evolve Boehringer Ingelheim`s approach towards Sustainable Development activities. We also believe that partnerships will help to enhance our contribution the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to reduce NCDs by 30 percent until 2030.

Facilitating early treatment and access to high-quality medicines

One important collaboration in the fight against NCDs is the Defeat NCD Partnership, which Boehringer Ingelheim joined in 2019. Despite an unplanned pause due to COVID-19, the comparatively young organization and Boehringer Ingelheim can already report two major successes. We have created concrete action plans with Rwanda and Myanmar. The contracts have been signed, and members of our partnership are now in the respective countries, working side by side with the local health authorities. As part of the action plan, the experts of the Defeat NCD Partnership will help local health ministries to allocate funding for reforming their healthcare systems and help the countries to establish better treatment facilities, enabling doctors to carry out regular check-ups on patients and identify NCDs at an early stage. In addition, online marketplaces will be created, allowing health services from these countries to buy high-quality medicines at equitable prices.

Further information can be found here: a panel discussion with Hubertus von Baumbach on "Access to Sustainable NCD Treatment and Care" with multiple high-profile participants from politics, business and the public sphere (You can watch a recording of the NCD panel here).