Global healthcare company Novo Nordisk is introducing its new corporate brand in Malaysia, adopting the positioning “Lasting Health Starts Now” as it seeks to bring its work in chronic disease care closer to people’s everyday lives.
The rebrand marks a new chapter for the company, which has more than a century of experience in treating serious chronic diseases, including diabetes and obesity.
Under the refreshed identity, the company will use the shorter name “Novo” in its day-to-day communications globally, while retaining Novo Nordisk A/S as its legal corporate name.
The introduction of the new brand also comes alongside The Novo Way, an updated corporate culture aimed at improving the company’s focus, speed and competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven healthcare environment.
The move comes as Malaysia continues to face a significant burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 found that 54.4% of Malaysian adults were overweight or living with obesity, while 15.6% had diabetes. Ischaemic heart disease also remained the leading cause of medically certified deaths in 2024.
Against this backdrop, Malaysia’s Health White Paper has highlighted the importance of prevention, stronger primary healthcare and public-private collaboration in addressing the country’s healthcare challenges.
Senior consultant endocrinologist and Universiti Malaya Endocrine Unit head Professor Dr Jeyakantha Ratnasingam said obesity and diabetes often occur alongside other interconnected health risks, including elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, cholesterol abnormalities and excess body fat.
“The earlier people understand these risks and have the right conversations about their health, the greater the opportunity to take appropriate action and support better health over time,” he said.
Tee Loong Tek, head of market access and public affairs at Novo Malaysia, said the company’s next chapter would focus on making its work more relevant to Malaysians’ everyday experiences with chronic conditions.
“We want to bring science closer to those realities, so people can better understand their health, know when to seek support and feel more confident taking action,” he said, adding that partnerships across Malaysia’s healthcare ecosystem would be important in supporting progress.
The new brand places greater emphasis on a whole-person approach to health, recognising that physical wellbeing is influenced by factors such as mental health, daily routines, relationships, social circumstances and the environments in which people live.
Emeritus Professor of Endocrine Medicine at Universiti Malaya and consultant endocrinologist Dr Chan Siew Pheng said chronic diseases must be understood in the context of patients’ lives beyond their clinical appointments.
She highlighted the importance of everyday factors such as diet, sleep, physical activity, stress and family circumstances in shaping health outcomes.
For conditions such as obesity and diabetes, early awareness and informed conversations can help people better understand their risks and seek appropriate support before complications arise, she said.
The renewed positioning seeks to bring scientific advances closer to these everyday realities, while helping people recognise the importance of managing their health over the longer term.
Novo’s refreshed visual identity retains the Apis bull, a symbol rooted in the company’s heritage, alongside a contemporary wordmark and visual system intended to strengthen brand recognition and consistency across markets.
At the global unveiling, Novo president and chief executive officer Mike Doustdar said the updated brand and corporate culture were intended to strengthen how the company operates and competes without changing its underlying purpose.
“We remain true to our purpose of changing people’s lives and are ambitious about our future to help them have lasting health, starting right now,” he said.
Alongside the rebrand, The Novo Way introduces four principles intended to guide the company’s operations and decision-making.
These are Customer Obsession, which places patients and consumers at the centre of innovation; Competitiveness, which focuses on improving performance and creating value; Clarity, which emphasises clear priorities and decisive action; and Care and Integrity, which reinforces the importance of patient safety and ethical conduct.
The company said the new corporate identity would be progressively reflected across its communications and stakeholder touchpoints in Malaysia.
Through the refreshed brand and corporate culture, Novo aims to reinforce its ambition to make better health more accessible while responding to changing expectations within the healthcare sector.
Its new positioning, “Lasting Health Starts Now”, underscores the message that progress in chronic disease management begins with greater awareness, informed decisions and sustained action in everyday life.