Welcome to Novo Nordisk’s online annual report, which supplements the Annual Report 2005. The annual report accounts for the company’s performance during the year and discusses key challenges. It presents the strategic initiatives to develop the business in order to meet its targets and sustain long-term value creation. And it explains Novo Nordisk’s way of doing business as a values-based company guided by a vision.
The vision sets the direction and aims to inspire everyone at Novo Nordisk to make their contribution to shaping our future:
achieving competitive business results
defending our leadership in diabetes care
offering innovative products and services in biopharmaceuticals
being a challenging workplace, and
putting values into action.
Each of the vision statements translates into short-term and medium-term targets throughout the organisation.
Opportunities and challenges
The feature articles presented in the printed report are organised under the vision’s five headings and present the key opportunities and challenges for Novo Nordisk as a global healthcare company. They present company-driven activities in pursuit of the Novo Nordisk vision and strategic objectives, and respond to concerns identified through interactions with shareholders, financial analysts and other stakeholders during the year. These topics have been identified as material for readers’ valuation of the company’s position for the future.
Four challenges stand out as particularly critical to address: access to health for everyone, innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, the implications of globalisation and standards of business ethics. These are put in the spotlight and framed as key stakeholders see them.
For each, Novo Nordisk has a strategic response in place, but also dilemmas to confront.
Changing diabetes
Diabetes is a major global public health problem. Curbing the unfolding epidemic of diabetes requires a focused business strategy that takes into account the need to get more people into better control of the condition.
Acknowledging that people are different and that optimum control is achieved by understanding the people behind the disease is our firm conviction. Read more.
Customised treatment
Diabetes need not stop people from accomplishing and doing whatever they set their minds to. For those people who must live with it, diabetes becomes a part of life, but just a part. Changing diabetes is also a matter of changing how we look at diabetes. Leading the fight against diabetes requires leadership and partnerships. Read more.
Leveraging core competences
Three areas of competence combined: research into diabetes, therapeutic proteins and delivery systems. This is the platform for facing tough competition today and in the future. Read more.
Mobilising young people
Diabetes is among the epidemic chronic diseases that are costing too many people their health and lives. Prevention is the most effective weapon in this fight, especially if young people lead the change towards healthier lifestyles. Read more.
Quality mindset
Today’s healthcare consumers are demanding; they know good quality from poor. People living with a chronic condition rightly expect outstanding quality from the products that they use every day over a lifetime. Quality is turning into a real competitive parameter. Read more.
Prepared for a carbon-constrained future
With ample evidence that the global climate is changing, there is a strong case for global leaders to take responsible action. The business case is equally clear: proactively preparing for a carbon-constrained future is a matter of cost-effective environmental management and risk mitigation. Read more.
This page has been assessed by PricewaterhouseCoopers as part of its assessment of Novo Nordisk’s statement that it reports ‘in accordance’ with GRI. Please refer to Audit and assurance for a full description of the nature of assurance offered.
