North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Novo Nordisk has unveiled plans to invest $4.1 billion to construct a second fill-and-finishing manufacturing facility in Clayton. This expansion aims to enhance the company’s capacity to produce current and future injectable treatments for obesity and other serious chronic diseases.
Preparatory work is already underway on the 56-acre site, with construction set to be completed between 2027 and 2029. At the peak of construction, approximately 2,000 external contractors will be engaged.
As one of the largest manufacturing investments in Novo Nordisk’s history, this project will add 1.4 million sq. ft. of production space for aseptic manufacturing and finished production processes. This expansion will double the combined square footage of all three of Novo Nordisk’s existing facilities in North Carolina. Additionally, the new facility will create 1,000 new jobs, adding to the nearly 2,500 employees already working in the region, a key hub for innovation and biotechnology in the U.S.
“It took us a century to reach 40 million patients, but through this expansion and continued investment in our global production, we’re building Novo Nordisk’s ability to serve millions more people living with serious chronic diseases in the future,” said Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk. “This is yet another real signal of our efforts to scale up our production to meet the growing global need for our life-changing medicines and the patients of tomorrow.”
The new facility will incorporate state-of-the-art technology, rooftop solar panels, and innovative water strategies to ensure efficiency and environmental sustainability. The goal is to achieve LEED Gold certification, a benchmark for excellence in constructing healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings.
“It’s a historic day for Johnston County,” said Butch Lawter, chair of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. “Thirty-one years ago, Novo Nordisk decided to make a new home here in Clayton. Then, in 2016, they announced a new facility right across the street – the single largest life sciences investment on state record at the time.
“Today, they’re breaking that record again… with a third facility, 1,000 new jobs and a vote of confidence in the partnerships we have forged in the community over the decades.”
For more information and supporting visuals, visit novonordisk.com.
Founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company.