GLOBAL healthcare company Novo Nordisk is introducing its new corporate brand in Malaysia, marking the next chapter of a company that has spent more than a century advancing care in serious chronic diseases including diabetes and obesity.
The rebrand centres on “Lasting Health Starts Now”, reflecting the belief that better long-term health is built through progress people can see and feel in their everyday lives.
Globally, the company will use the shorter “Novo” name on a day-to-day basis, while Novo Nordisk A/S remains its legal global company name.
The new brand is being introduced alongside The Novo Way, an updated corporate culture designed to help the company operate with greater focus, speed and impact as healthcare becomes increasingly competitive, technology-enabled and shaped by the changing expectations of the people it serves.
Together, the rebrand and The Novo Way are part of how Novo intends to deliver on its business objectives and ambition to bring better health to more people.
The shift comes as Malaysia continues to face a significant chronic disease burden.
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, while ischaemic heart disease remained the leading cause of medically certified death in 2024.
Against this backdrop, Malaysia’s Health White Paper has emphasised stronger prevention, primary care and public-private collaboration, reinforcing the need for healthcare to become more relevant and connected to everyday life.
“Obesity and diabetes rarely exist in isolation. In clinical practice, we are often looking at several interconnected risks, including blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and excess body fat,” said Professor Dr Jeyakantha Ratnasingam, a senior consultant endocrinologist and Head of Endocrine Unit at Universiti Malaya.
“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.
“For us in Malaysia, this next chapter needs to feel relevant to people’s everyday lives. Chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes are lived every day, not only during a consultation,” said Tee Loong Tek, Head of Market Access and Public Affairs, Novo Malaysia.
“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. Strong partnerships across Malaysia’s healthcare ecosystem will be an important part of making that progress possible,” Tee added.
Bringing science closer to everyday life
At the heart of the new brand is a move towards viewing health through the whole person, recognising that physical health does not exist separately from mental wellbeing, everyday routines, relationships, social circumstances and the environments people live in.
This reflects the broader direction behind the new Novo brand: health is increasingly managed day by day, people want progress they can recognise in their own lives, and they have more sources of health information and support available than ever before.
The new positioning is intended to bring breakthrough science closer to those everyday realities while strengthening recognition and trust.
“Chronic disease is lived between your clinic visits with your doctors. Understanding how your bodies function & how illnesses like obesity, and diabetes can be managed, continues to remain important but so are the realities of everyday life, including what people eat, how they sleep, their level of activity, stress, family circumstances and whether they feel able to seek help,” shared Dr Chan Siew Pheng, Emeritus Professor Endocrine Medicine Universiti Malaya, consultant endocrinologist.
“For such conditions, earlier awareness and informed conversations are important because risk often develops over time. Helping people understand their health before complications arise gives us a better opportunity to support meaningful change and sustainable progress,” said Chan.
Novo’s refreshed visual identity brings the company’s history and future together, retaining the Apis bull, a symbol rooted in its heritage, alongside a contemporary Novo wordmark and visual system designed to strengthen recognition and consistency across markets.
“Healthcare must become more responsive, relevant and easier to fit into everyday life. Our brand and culture are strategically important and will enhance how we operate and compete, but the reason we exist will not change,” pointed out Mike Doustdar, President and CEO, Novo, at the global unveiling.
“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.
A culture designed for a faster-changing healthcare environment
Alongside the new brand, The Novo Way sets out how the company intends to work and compete in its next chapter while retaining the scientific expertise, care for people and commitment to safety and ethics that have shaped Novo for more than a century.
It is built around four principles:
- Customer Obsession – innovating with consumers and patients at the centre of what Novo does;
- Competitiveness – raising performance to create greater value for stakeholders;
- Clarity – creating focus and speed through clear priorities and decisive action;
- Care & Integrity – caring for people while never compromising on patient safety and ethics.
The new corporate identity will be progressively reflected across Novo’s communications and stakeholder touchpoints in Malaysia4.
Its underlying purpose remains focused on driving change for lasting health, while the new platform brings greater immediacy to that ambition: Lasting Health Starts Now.—Oct 6, 2026
Main image: Novo Nordisk
