Novo Nordisk forks out $2.5bn to expand Denmark plant

Novo Nordisk will invest $2.5 billion to construct three manufacturing facilities and expand its Kalundborg, Denmark site.

According to Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, the expansion will support production of Novo Nordisk’s current and future injectable and oral products, including insulin.

A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told BioProcess Insider its Kalundborg site has been selected because the firm has “more than 50 years’ experience out of Kalundborg in Denmark; about 50 % of the total insulin production comes from Kalundborg; we have the best manpower and optimal process equipment in place and we have a strong cooperation with the local industry, the educational institutions and the municipality.”

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The firm said most of the investment will provide additional capacity across the global value chain to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), as well as assembly and packaging services.

“Kalundborg is currently the cornerstone in our production of API and the expansion of the manufacturing capacity is important to meeting the future demands of patients. The investment announced today emphasizes our continued commitment to Denmark and Kalundborg being at the heart of our global manufacturing setup”, said Henrik Wulff, executive vice president, Product Supply, Quality & IT, Novo Nordisk. ​

400 jobs

The firm said the three plants will be automated and include various production technologies and the investment projects are anticipated to be finalized in 2027.

The facility will create around 400 jobs and over 2,500 external employees will be employed throughout the construction phase.

“We have education opportunities at all levels in the area and don’t anticipate any major problems recruiting the 400 people we anticipate [hiring],” the firm told us.