Novo Nordisk breaks ground on $1.8 billion N.C. production facility

CLAYTON, N.C. — Novo Nordisk announced Monday that it had broken ground on its new facility where it will produce diabetes medicine. The $1.8 billion facility’s ground breaking event was attended by the company’s president and CEO Lars Rebien Sørensen, as well as N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory and more than 100 employees, policy makers and community members. 

 

“As the prevalence of diabetes has grown in the U.S., so too has the demand for effective treatments,” Sørensen said. “It gives me great pride to break ground on our new facility site in Clayton where we have an existing, strong organization. This site will play a vital role in enabling us to meet the needs of people living with diabetes in the U.S. for years to come.”

 

The 833,000-sq. ft. facility, which is adjacent to the company’s Clayton facility, will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients for Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 and insulin medicines, and is expected to be fully operational in 2020. The company expects the facility will create some 700 new jobs once it’s complete. 

 

“Novo Nordisk's billion dollar decision to bring this landmark manufacturing facility to North Carolina underscores its commitment to our state and confidence in our state's talent,” McCrory said.” This expansion of the current site and workforce highlights our ability to be a leader in bio-manufacturing at the global level.”