Sanofi is strengthening its long-standing commitment to access to diabetes care in low and middle-income countries and underserved communities worldwide through a series of innovative partnerships with healthcare authorities in countries where comprehensive care has not previously been widely available.

The company has consequently signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health of Ghana, a milestone marked at ceremonies held simultaneously in Accra and Paris.

Under the MoU, the healthcare authorities in Ghana will be able to purchase affordable high-quality Sanofi analogue insulin products.

Moreover, the proposed partnership provides for the deployment of diabetes management solutions in four Ghanaian diabetes centers where 500 healthcare professionals will benefit from a targeted medical training program.

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In addition, Sanofi will co-develop a digital solution to help physicians, nurses, pharmacists and community healthcare workers to better support more than 5,000 people living with diabetes in Ghana.

As well as disease awareness, screening, and training for healthcare professionals, this MoU will provide patient support initiatives and measures designed to help strengthen the Ghanaian health system. Diabetes care will also be made more accessible to patients in remote areas through regional centers.

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu  Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said; “The increasing prevalence of diabetes in Ghana places a heavy burden on those impacted and on our healthcare system. Blindness, amputation and cardiac emergencies are among the severe complications that people living with diabetes are at heightened risk from.

“Our objectives are to improve awareness and promote early diagnosis. This will be achieved through better and more widely available training for healthcare professionals. We will also introduce digital solutions that improve diabetes management. The Government of Ghana has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals that underpin the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and broader, more affordable access to diabetes care will help us in this endeavor. We are particularly pleased that Sanofi will join us in these efforts.”

Olivier Charmeil

The Executive Vice President, General Medicines, Sanofi, Olivier Charmeil said “Our ambition to deliver better care and improve the quality-of-life of those living with diabetes knows no borders. We see this as a shared responsibility with healthcare systems, and we are committed to fully playing our part. In this context, we are proud to work closely with the Ministry of Health in Ghana and look forward to taking the learnings from this alliance forward in other countries. More broadly, we continue to examine various healthcare access models to determine which approaches best meet specific local needs and opportunities.” 

The joint approach in Ghana, which Sanofi intends to mirror elsewhere over time, comes as people in Africa are expected to experience the highest increase in diabetes globally. The number of people on the continent suffering from the disease is forecasted by the International Diabetes Federation to rise by 129% from 24m to 55m by 2045. Under-diagnosis is also widespread with an estimated 54% of people living with undiagnosed diabetes. IDF estimates suggest 329,200 adults in Ghana have diabetes, the majority being Type 2 while an estimated 2,551 children and adolescents (0-19 years) are living with Type 1 diabetes.

In May 2022, World Health Organization (WHO) Member States supported the creation of the first global targets for diabetes, as part of recommendations to strengthen and monitor diabetes responses within national NCD (non-communicable disease) programs. To help achieve these global targets for diabetes, the WHO and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) agreed to develop and implement a joint integrative project in two African countries. The two countries chosen are Ghana and Uganda with Ghana selected because of its fight against NCDs.

The potential partnership in Ghana aligns with the affordable access pillar of Sanofi’s approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The CSR strategy is one of three major elements of the company’s multi-tiered approach to social impact. This also includes Sanofi Global Health, a non-profit unit aiming to increase access to healthcare in the lowest income countries, and Foundation S, the Sanofi collective dedicated to philanthropy.