In 2025, embecta donated approximately 15 million units of pen needles and insulin syringes to Direct Relief. Through 2026, embecta and Direct Relief will continue their partnership to provide pen needle and insulin syringe access to those most in need across the globe. This major commitment represents embecta’s largest humanitarian partnership since becoming an independent company and will support Direct Relief’s comprehensive diabetes programs serving vulnerable populations both domestically and internationally.

“As we mark World Diabetes Day, embecta is proud to deepen our commitment to ensuring that everyone living with diabetes—regardless of their ability to pay or where they live—has access to the supplies they need,” said Dev Kurdikar, Chief Executive Officer, embecta. “Since becoming an independent company, we have focused on empowering people with diabetes while paving the way for a life unlimited for all. This partnership with Direct Relief helps extend that mission to those who need it most.”

Supporting Underserved Patients Nationwide

embecta’s donation will significantly expand Direct Relief’s ability to serve uninsured and low-income patients with diabetes through Direct Relief’s safety net support program. Direct Relief partners with more than 1,600 community health centers and free and charitable clinics across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, serving more than 36 million patients—including one in five of America’s uninsured.

Through this program, embecta’s diabetes products, including syringes, pen needles, and diabetes management supplies, will reach patients who cannot afford insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid, ensuring they have consistent, uninterrupted access to the tools essential for managing their diabetes.

“Direct Relief welcomes embecta’s extraordinary commitment to expanding diabetes care access,” said Amy Weaver, CEO, Direct Relief. “We are one of the largest charitable insulin providers worldwide and in the U.S., and embecta’s support will help us impact thousands of lives—from children with Type 1 diabetes through our support of the international Life for a Child program to increasing access for underserved patients at safety net clinics nationwide.”

Global Impact: Supporting Children and Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

Internationally, embecta’s products support Direct Relief’s partnership with Life for a Child, which provides life-sustaining diabetes care to children and young people with Type 1 diabetes in resource-limited countries. Direct Relief has supported Life for a Child since 2011 and currently helps provide care to more than 53,000 children and young people with Type 1 diabetes in 45 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Through Direct Relief’s Global Diabetes Partnership with the International Diabetes Federation, embecta’s donated pen needles and syringes support people living with diabetes in more than 30 countries experiencing crises or facing significant gaps in healthcare access.

Most recently, in collaboration with Direct Relief, embecta donated 2.7 million insulin needles and syringes to support an upcoming humanitarian response campaign in Sudan. This campaign is organized by the Sudanese Diabetes Federation and other regional charitable stakeholders. The donation highlights embecta’s and Direct Relief’s shared commitment to providing life-saving diabetes care in regions affected by humanitarian crises.

Empowering Young People Through Diabetes Education

embecta’s commitment also extends to Direct Relief’s support of the Diabetes Education & Camping Association’s, or DECA’s, network and diabetes camps nationwide. These camps provide children and young adults with diabetes with the opportunity to learn diabetes management skills, build confidence, and connect with peers while enjoying outdoor activities in a medically supervised environment. embecta’s past donations of pen needles, insulin syringes, sharps containers, and other essential supplies ensure these life-changing camp experiences can continue serving thousands of young people each year.

Emergency Response and Ongoing Support

The partnership includes continued emergency response capabilities, building on embecta’s July 2025 grant of $25,000 to Direct Relief for Texas storm and flood relief. This ensures that people with diabetes receive uninterrupted care even during natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

The Diabetes Crisis

According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 537 million people worldwide are living with diabetes—a number projected to reach 783 million by 2045. In the United States, approximately 38 million Americans have diabetes, yet access to affordable care and supplies remains a critical challenge, particularly for uninsured and underinsured populations. Diabetes is responsible for 6.7 million deaths worldwide annually, with mortality rates directly correlated to economic stability and healthcare access.

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“IDF is delighted to collaborate with Direct Relief and support industry partners to provide people in need across the world with increased access to diabetes-related products,” said Prof. Andrew Boulton, president of the International Diabetes Federation. “Thanks to the generous charitable donations of Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany, BD, embecta, and LifeScan, we can provide critical, uninterrupted care for people living with diabetes in countries where resources are limited.”

According to the latest IDF Diabetes Atlas, the number of people living with diabetes around the world has risen to 537 million, and mortality from the disease correlates directly with the country of residence’s economic stability. Moreover, as the global disease burden continues to shift from communicable to noncommunicable diseases, diabetes has emerged as a major contributor to disability and death, responsible for 6.7 million deaths worldwide in 2021. Although it is often not the case for people living in countries experiencing a natural disaster or economic crisis, fortunately, health complications related to diabetes can be minimized or often eliminated through access to essential medicines and care.

A few highlights of product support from within the Global Diabetes Partnership include:

Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, provided a donation of nearly 10 million tablets of its diabetes medicines, an amount sufficient to meet the need for a year of treatment for approximately 25,000 patients requiring second-line innovative oral therapy to treat their Type 2 diabetes.

The company’s contribution was a manufacture-to-donate commitment to provide supplies for patients in 11 countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

“Addressing the growing burden of cardiovascular and metabolic disease in low- and middle-income countries requires a multi-sectoral effort to build sustainable health systems that provide access to care and essential medicines, regardless of geography or economic circumstance,” said Allison Goldberg, executive director of Global Impact Giving for Merck & Co., Inc. “We are proud to be partnering with Direct Relief and the International Diabetes Federation to help increase access to second-line Type 2 diabetes treatments for patients in need around the world.”

Eli Lilly and Company provided over 1.4 million cartridges, pens, and vials of insulin to support patients impacted by emergencies in Ukraine, Haiti, and Lebanon. This included a significant supply of insulin to Direct Relief for Ukraine in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, managed public hospitals.

“Lilly is committed to providing access to our medicines for people around the world – including in areas affected by disasters and other humanitarian crises,” said Michael B. Mason, executive vice president at Lilly and president of Lilly Diabetes. “We greatly value our collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation, Direct Relief and other private sector partners to deliver insulin and diabetes supplies to patients in some of the most difficult and life-threatening conditions.”

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, provided over 20 million tablets of Type 2 diabetes therapies to support numerous countries experiencing an emergency situation or significant gaps in access, such as Ukraine, Haiti, Lebanon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Togo, and other countries.

Novo Nordisk A/S provided over 2 million vials of insulin to support underserved patients in Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Togo, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Afghanistan, and other countries. Novo Nordisk also manufactured a special donation of its various insulins to support Direct Relief’s Ukraine and Lebanese emergency responses, as well as manufacture-to-donate insulin for Direct Relief’s long-term partner FHADIMAC in Haiti.

The company embecta, formerly part of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), provided diabetes pen needles and syringes to support children with Type 1 diabetes in over 30 countries worldwide. This donation was key to those patients being able to access the donated insulin that they received. Over the past three years, as the diabetes care business of BD, they’ve made significant diabetes product donations to Direct Relief.

LifeScan provided 90 pallets of glucose meters and test strips to support children with diabetes in Ukraine. Direct Relief provided these products to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Diabetes Federation to support children with diabetes.

“The Central African Republic is ranked as the fifth poorest country in the world, making it extremely difficult to buy required medicines for chronic diseases. This IDF and Direct Relief medicines initiative allowed our patients a means for recovery and access to healthcare, which are among their most basic human rights. The donations we received were key to preserving good health and life,” stated Dr. Gaspard Kouriah, medical advisor of the Association des Diabetiques Centrafrique.

“According to our medical staff, the access of these medicines has led to an influx of diabetic patients seeking help and care from our association. These efforts have considerably improved our system and access to health care within our country.”

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