At an event held on Wednesday, April 1st, Novo Nordisk Greece presented its new awareness campaign for obesity, with the central message “For a lighter life”. The event highlighted the importance of holistic disease management, as obesity is not a matter of lack of willpower or personal failure, but a chronic disease that requires specialized support. The message “For a lighter life” refers not only to the loss of excess body weight, but to the freedom offered by the “moment of realization” for a person living with obesity to take the first step and seek medical advice. The Novo Nordisk website www.truthaboutweight.global/gr/el.html serves as a key tool for reliable information and patient preparation for meeting with their doctor.
The event was honored by the presence of Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, who stated: “I commit that for those who will demonstrably maintain weight loss for six months and prove that they have entered a different mindset and are truly trying to overcome this disease, I will then find a way to compensate them after the six-month period. I really want people to break free. Because there are even social problems from obesity, such as social exclusion, as they stay at home. For many years, people with obesity were invisible. Now we have seen them, we have recorded them.”
The event was presented by journalists Nancy Zambetoglou and Thanasis Anagnostopoulos, who with insight and sensitivity contributed decisively to fruitful discussions.
The statement by journalist Christina Vidou stood out as an example of strength and personal change. Through her own “moment of realization” and the truth of her story, Ms. Vidou emphasized that real change concerns the body, but mainly the way we stand towards ourselves. She encouraged more people to stop feeling guilty, to believe in themselves and to seek the medical support required by a chronic disease like obesity, while utilizing modern scientific solutions for its holistic treatment.
Similarly, singer Eirini Kalamaraki shared her own weight management story, revealing her determination for lifestyle change that, with persistence and medical support, led her to daily small victories. Together with her doctor, Ms. Eva Papageorgiou, General Practitioner and Scientific Collaborator at EKPA Medical School, with postgraduate training in Diabetes and Obesity, they highlighted the importance of the doctor-patient trust relationship for effective, long-term disease management. Ms. Papageorgiou referred to the multifactorial and unique complexity of obesity, which is almost always accompanied by comorbidities, making it one of the most difficult public health issues. Therefore, she emphasized that patients must consult doctors with training and clinical experience, undergo necessary medical examinations, and then be guided to the appropriate combination of diet, exercise and pharmaceutical treatment for weight loss and maintenance, emphasizing the urgent need for interdisciplinary, holistic treatment.
The President of the Panhellenic Association for Supporting People with Obesity “IMEROESSA”, Ms. Kiki Tsiranidou, noted that Novo Nordisk’s awareness campaign touches on the difficulties experienced by patients. For this reason, the Association, within the framework of its commitment to support every person on this journey, “embraced” it under its auspices, emphasizing: “Obesity is a real, chronic disease – not a personal failure. In our Association we see daily people who struggle not only with weight, but also with the stigma imposed on them. Novo Nordisk’s new campaign sends a clear message: no one is alone and the first step has power. Communication with a doctor can open new paths for treatment and better quality of life.”
Statements from Novo Nordisk executives
From Novo Nordisk, Mr. Olympios Papadimitriou, General Manager of Novo Nordisk Greece and Cyprus, referred to the company’s ambition to be part of the solution in the multi-front battle against obesity, noting: “So far we are doing exceptionally well! With the targeted and significant weight loss achieved by our latest therapeutic treatment, we provide an important tool for patients and their doctors so that this battle can be won. With the price reduction we recently announced for the two largest concentrations of the treatment, we practically demonstrate our commitment to the patient and take a decisive step to make therapy more accessible to those who need it. We want you as allies in this effort. In an era of information overload and misinformation, the message for holistic and long-term disease management with the help of specialists deserves to be communicated over time for the benefit of patients and society as a whole.”
Mr. Euripides Gourgolidis, Senior Communication & Public Affairs Lead of Novo Nordisk Greece and Cyprus delved into the three pillars of the campaign – information, understanding, empowerment – explaining that the message “For a lighter life” was born from the need to change the narrative around obesity, with a positive sign. Based on research showing that the biggest obstacle is not willpower, but lack of support, the focus was placed on the idea of “the moment you realize that…” – the moment of change, which brings recognition of scientific guidance and therapeutic solutions, breaking down the feeling of loneliness.
Ms. Maria Zafeiri, MD, MSc, PhDc, BCMAS, Pathologist and Medical Affairs Manager of Novo Nordisk Greece, emphasized that obesity is a chronic and multifactorial disease, which is associated with more than 200 health complications. As she stressed, treating obesity requires a comprehensive, scientifically documented strategy, aimed not only at weight loss and long-term maintenance, but also at the overall improvement of related complications, so as to ensure better quality of life for people living with obesity.
Ms. Chrysa Panagopoulou, Associate Director Market Access & External Affairs of Novo Nordisk Greece and Cyprus, focused on Novo Nordisk’s human-centered approach, emphasizing that the company, listening to the needs of people with obesity, acts as an ally, covering the feeling of lack of support and contributing to the creation of a holistic care ecosystem. She emphasized that Novo Nordisk, always in collaboration with specialists, responds to four basic patient needs: access to pharmaceutical treatment, price reduction of 11% and 13% (in the two largest concentrations) with the goal of wide accessibility, patient support towards lifestyle change through the patient support program, as well as providing valid information through the platform www.truthaboutweight.global/gr/el.html
