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Novo Nordisk’s new manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina.
Courtesy: Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk mentioned Monday it would spend $4.1 billion to construct a brand new manufacturing facility in Clayton, North Carolina, in an effort to extend provide of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, diabetes remedy Ozempic and different injectable therapies.
Demand for Wegovy and Ozempic has outpaced provide over the previous 12 months, resulting in periodic shortages within the U.S. and forcing the Danish drugmaker to take a position closely to develop its manufacturing footprint. The corporate mentioned it plans to take a position $6.8 billion in manufacturing this 12 months, up from about $4 billion final 12 months.
In accordance with an organization press launch, the brand new manufacturing facility might be answerable for filling and packaging syringes and injection pens for the medicine.
“This funding actually provides us the chance to serve extra sufferers,” mentioned Doug Langa, head of Novo Nordisk’s North American operations, in an interview. “Importantly, I feel the opposite key message right here is that there’s additional funding within the US, so I feel we’re very happy with that.”
Development on the 1.4 million-square-foot facility has begun and is predicted to be accomplished between 2027 and 2029, Novo Nordisk mentioned. The corporate mentioned 1,000 workers will workers the positioning, along with the two,500 workers already working on the website. three present factories in North Carolina.
That features two places already operational in Clayton – one answerable for the filling and ending work and one other concerned within the manufacturing of the lively ingredient within the firm’s diabetes tablet Rybelsus. The corporate additionally has a location in Durham, North Carolina, answerable for the manufacturing and packaging of oral drugs, and one other facility in West Lebanon, New Hampshire.
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In accordance with a Novo Nordisk spokesperson, twelve different manufacturing websites are positioned in Denmark, France, China, Japan, Algeria, Brazil, Iran and Russia.
Three decrease doses of Wegovy are presently in brief provide within the U.S. as a result of excessive demand, based on a Meals and Drug Administration report database. Sufferers begin Wegovy at decrease doses and step by step improve the quantity each 4 weeks till they attain a goal dose.
Wegovy and Ozempic are a part of a category of medicines known as GLP-1s, which mimic hormones produced within the intestines to suppress an individual’s urge for food and regulate blood sugar ranges.
On common, about 35,000 U.S. sufferers are beginning Wegovy as we speak, up from about 27,000 in Might, a Novo Nordisk spokesperson mentioned in an announcement. Nonetheless, Langa mentioned the corporate is “very focused” in regards to the variety of decrease doses it brings to the U.S. market to make sure that sufferers who’ve already began taking Wegovy can proceed remedy at increased doses.
Rival drug producer Eli Lilly has additionally dedicated billions of {dollars} to extend manufacturing capability for its common GLP-1s for weight reduction and diabetes, Zepbound and Mounjaro. The corporate additionally has a number of manufacturing crops in North Carolina.
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Correction: Novo Nordisk’s present services in Clayton, North Carolina, are answerable for the fill and end work and for the manufacturing of the lively ingredient within the firm’s diabetes tablet, Rybelsus. An earlier model of this story misstated these options.
