Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has invested €432 million in its Ireland facility to boost the manufacture of “current and future” GLP-1 medicines.
The company said the upgraded “tabletting facility” in Athlone, Republic of Ireland, will “provide significant additional manufacturing capacity” for its “current and future” GLP-1 treatments.
The investment will “support the upgrade and retrofit of the existing facility” and “enhance Novo Nordisk’s capacity to manufacture oral GLP-1s”, it added.
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Novo Nordisk also said the expansion will see Ireland “serve as a critical hub for servicing markets outside the US”.
The facility’s existing 260 employees will focus on producing oral treatments “in an efficient and environmentally sustainable way”, it added, and the project will “create up to 500 construction jobs”.
The construction, which is already underway, will be completed “gradually from the end of 2027 through 2028”.
Strengthened ability
Novo Nordisk executive vice-president of CMC and product supply Kasper Bødker Mejlvang said expanding the company’s production capacities for oral drugs will strengthen its “ability to meet both current and future demand outside the US”.
“This investment, a historic milestone for Novo Nordisk in Ireland, marks our continued commitment to Ireland and our highly skilled employees in Athlone while allowing us to make a difference for millions of people living with serious chronic diseases,” he added.
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It comes after Novo Nordisk announced in February that it was slashing GLP-1 prices by up to 50% from January 1, 2027.
Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus have all seen price cuts, with the company saying the change was part of “concerted efforts from Novo Nordisk to improve patient access to Wegovy and Ozempic”.
Read more: Novo Nordisk to slash GLP-1 prices by up to 50%
The company also this month filed a lawsuit against telehealth company Hims & Hers, accusing it of “mass marketing unapproved versions” of Wegovy and Ozempic.
Novo Nordisk alleged in the lawsuit that Him & Hers were “deceiving patients and putting their health at risk”.