Novo Nordisk announced Monday that the corporate would invest $4.1 billion to construct a brand new manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina, to extend supply of its successful weight-loss drug Wegovy, diabetes drug Ozempic and other injectable therapies.
Demand for Wegovy and Ozempic exceeded supply last 12 months, resulting in temporary shortages within the US and forcing the Danish pharmaceutical company to take a position heavily in expanding its production capability. The company announced it could invest $6.8 billion in production this 12 months, up from around $4 billion last 12 months.
The recent production facility shall be chargeable for filling and packaging syringes and injection pens for the medications, the corporate said in a press release.
“This investment really gives us the opportunity to serve more patients,” Doug Langa, head of Novo Nordisk's North American business, said in an interview. “The other important message, I think, is that this is further investment in the U.S., and I think we're very proud of that.”
Construction of the 1.4 million square meter facility has begun and is predicted to be accomplished between 2027 and 2029, Novo Nordisk said. The company said 1,000 staff shall be employed at the development site, along with the two,500 employees already working at the power. three existing production facilities in North Carolina.
These include two Locations already in operation in Clayton — one is chargeable for filling and ending, one other for manufacturing the energetic ingredient for the corporate's diabetes drug Rybelsus. The company also has a site in Durham, North Carolina, chargeable for manufacturing and packaging oral medications, and one other facility in West Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Twelve other production sites are positioned in Denmark, France, China, Japan, Algeria, Brazil, Iran and Russia, in line with a Novo Nordisk spokesman.
According to a press release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, three lower doses of Wegovy are currently in brief supply within the United States as a result of high demand DatabasePatients start with a lower dose of Wegovy and steadily increase the quantity every 4 weeks until they reach the goal dose.
Wegovy and Ozempic belong to a category of medicine called GLP-1, which mimic hormones produced within the gut to suppress an individual's appetite and regulate their blood sugar.
Today, a mean of about 35,000 U.S. patients are beginning to take Wegovy each week, up from about 27,000 in May, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said in a press release. Still, Langa said the corporate is being “very intentional” in regards to the variety of lower doses it brings to the U.S. market to make sure patients who’ve already began taking Wegovy can proceed treatment with higher doses.
Competing pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has also invested billions of dollars to extend manufacturing capability for its popular GLP-1 weight reduction and diabetes products, Zepbound and Mounjaro. The company also has several manufacturing facilities in North Carolina.
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