At Sanofi, we know that participation and collaboration help people to live healthier lives. Our ongoing dialogue with a wide range of independent patient and healthcare organisations allows us to listen to and learn from their experiences and support their priorities. Given the grass roots nature of many patient groups, we are proud to support their work to help others within their communities. 

Mental health and diabetes

Every year 700,000 people living with diabetes experience mental or emotional health challenges. That’s because living with diabetes is not easy. It’s not a choice. And there are no days off. On top of that, many people with diabetes experience blame and shame. There are lots of myths, misinformation and misconceptions about diabetes. Since 2020, Sanofi has proudly supported Diabetes Australia’s Heads Up on Diabetes campaign, to raise awareness of the mental and emotional impact of the condition.

Heart health & COVID19 research

Open communication and collaboration has never been so important in the fight against infectious disease. Our collaboration with the Australian Heart Foundation supports their important and time sensitive research into how COVID-19 damages the heart and its impact on cardiovascular health. The research hopes to bridge the knowledge gap of why people with cardiovascular disease appear to be more vulnerable to severe outcomes, and to better understand how to treat the cardiac complications of COVID-19.

Inclusion for rare patients through dance

In 2018 our Sanofi Genzyme team supported a unique collaboration, Helping Hands, between the MPS Society Australia and Sydney Dance Company. The campaign enabled members of the rare disease community to take part in dance workshops, aiming to raise awareness of and help bridge the inclusivity gap for those with rare diseases. As a part of Rare Disease Day, to further celebrate the campaign, we hosted an evening of conversation with members of the rare disease community, and invited attendees to plant a hand of support in our hands of hope garden.

Reducing bullying and stigma

Through our worldwide Agents of Change Atopic Dermatitis Challenge in 2019, we are supporting the work of Eczema Support Australia to help shine a spotlight on the burden faced by adolescents living with severe eczema. Eczema Support Australia will produce a range of films that will share the stories of teenagers affected by atopic dermatitis and the bullying they have faced, with the goal of improving community understanding and acceptance of the condition.

Student solutions to meningitis awareness

Our creative collaboration with University of Technology Sydney saw our experts deliver educational workshops about immunisation and meningococcal meningitis to Life Science students studying human pathophysiology. Final coursework tasked students to ideate ways of educating their peers about meningococcal disease.
The winning idea involved creating a deeper connection with peers, through artwork curated and showcased by student meningococcal survivors. We awarded the team with a $5,000 educational grant to implement the idea, which was bought to life at an interactive arts festival named VAX & ATE.

Solving the problems of influenza

In 2020 we supported the virtual hackathon, Sanofi Beyond! Health hack, which engages medical and pharmacy students to flex their creative muscles and put forward ideas that could help reduce the burden of influenza and its complications in countries around Asia-Pacific. Alongside the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) and International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA), the hackathon involves two days of intense online ideation workshops and solution development.

Sharing real patient stories to create connection

Sharing real patient stories to create connection: In New Zealand and Australia, we worked with MedicineX to create an interactive app called Type 2 Diabetes Xplained. Through animated characters, the app shares stories and real life scenarios, to help patients feel better connected and informed about how to manage their diabetes and when to ask for help. We also collaborated with Diabetes New Zealand and Jumo Health to extend this educational support to those living with diabetes, through a podcast series 'In My words'. Listeners can hear from like-minded patients about their own health journey, as well as from clinical professionals sharing advice on management.