Novo Nordisk Buys Factories to Boost Growth

Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant, is experiencing such high demand for its diabetes medication Ozempic and weight-loss drug Wegovy, both based on the GLP-1 hormone with the active ingredient semaglutide, that its production capacity has become the limiting factor. To address this, the company announced on Monday the purchase of three filling factories located in Italy, the USA, and Belgium, that were owned by Catalent, which already handles drug filling for Novo Nordisk. Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk’s main shareholder, acquired Catalent and then sold the three factories to Novo Nordisk for over 76 billion kroner. Senior analyst at Sydbank, Søren Løntoft Hansen, believes the investment will pay off due to the looming market needs. These factories are ready for immediate use and offer a faster alternative to building new facilities. However, due to existing contracts, the scale-up of Novo’s medicine production at these sites will commence from 2026 onwards.