Novo Nordisk announces $4.1bn investment in new North Carolina manufacturing facility

Novo Nordisk, a global leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing, has unveiled plans to invest $4.1 billion (approximately 27 billion Danish kroner) to establish a second fill and finishing manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina. This initiative marks one of the largest manufacturing investments in the company’s history and aims to significantly enhance its capacity to produce injectable treatments for obesity and other serious chronic diseases.

Expansion to Double Production Space and Create New Jobs

The new facility will add 1.4 million square feet of production space, effectively doubling the total area of Novo Nordisk’s existing facilities in North Carolina. This expansion will not only increase the company’s production capabilities but also create 1,000 new jobs, adding to the nearly 2,500 employees already based in the region. North Carolina is recognized as a central hub for innovation and biotechnology in the United States, making it an ideal location for this substantial expansion.

Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, emphasized the strategic importance of the expansion: “It took us a century to reach 40 million patients, but through this expansion and continued investment in our global production, we’re building Novo Nordisk’s ability to serve millions more people living with serious chronic diseases in the future. This is yet another real signal of our efforts to scale up our production to meet the growing global need for our life-changing medicines and the patients of tomorrow.”

Commitment to Sustainability and Community Engagement

The new facility will incorporate state-of-the-art technology, including rooftop solar panels and innovative water strategies, aligning with Novo Nordisk’s commitment to environmental sustainability. The company aims to achieve LEED Gold certification for the building, which is recognized as a benchmark for constructing healthy, efficient, and cost-effective green buildings.

Henrik Wulff, Executive Vice President of Product Supply, Quality & IT at Novo Nordisk, highlighted the company’s longstanding relationship with the local community: “Clayton was the first manufacturing site for Novo Nordisk in the US, and this new, large-scale investment confirms the continued importance of our production facilities there as cornerstones of our company’s growth. For decades, we have partnered to foster a well-trained, dedicated, and diverse local workforce in North Carolina. In Clayton and across our global manufacturing sites, we are driven by one purpose: to deliver more for the millions of people living with chronic diseases – and this facility will help us achieve just that.”

Economic Impact and Future Developments

The project has already begun with early clearing and foundational work to prepare the 56-acre facility footprint. Construction is expected to be completed in phases between 2027 and 2029, engaging around 2,000 external contractors at the peak of the project.

Butch Lawter, Chair of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners, expressed his enthusiasm during a recent press conference: “It’s a historic day for Johnston County. Thirty-one years ago, Novo Nordisk decided to make a new home here in Clayton. Then, in 2016, they announced a new facility right across the street – the single largest life sciences investment on state record at the time. Today, they’re breaking that record again… with a third facility, 1,000 new jobs, and a vote of confidence in the partnerships we have forged in the community over the decades.”