For more than three decades, Clayton, North Carolina has been home to Novo Nordisk's first and largest manufacturing presence in the U.S. In those 30+ years, we've expanded nine times in North Carolina, invested nearly $6 billion dollars, built and upgraded two more facilities and gone from 50 employees to more than 2,500.

Now, we're investing another $4.1 billion and adding 1,000 more jobs to build our most innovative production facility ever in the state.

Novo Nordisk establishes first manufacturing site in the U.S.

1993
Upgrades are completed in Clayton, and Novo Nordisk’s first production facility will soon fill and package diabetes medicines. U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals get underway.
1993

Novo Nordisk establishes first manufacturing site in the U.S.

Upgrades are completed in Clayton, and Novo Nordisk’s first production facility will soon fill and package diabetes medicines. U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals get underway.

First products to market

1996
The first diabetes care products (insulins and GLP-1s) produced by Novo Nordisk in the U.S. are shipped out to be delivered to patients.
1996

First products to market

The first diabetes care products (insulins and GLP-1s) produced by Novo Nordisk in the U.S. are shipped out to be delivered to patients.

Site expansions

1998
The facility expands several times to include a canteen for employees, more office and warehouse space, as well as several production equipment upgrades to meet the growing demand for new Novo Nordisk medications.
1998

Site expansions

The facility expands several times to include a canteen for employees, more office and warehouse space, as well as several production equipment upgrades to meet the growing demand for new Novo Nordisk medications.

New site groundbreaking

2016
Across the street from our first Clayton site, Novo Nordisk announces the largest life science investment in North Carolina history - investing $1.8 billion to build the first active pharmaceutical ingredient facility outside of Denmark.
2016

New site groundbreaking

Across the street from our first Clayton site, Novo Nordisk announces the largest life science investment in North Carolina history - investing $1.8 billion to build the first active pharmaceutical ingredient facility outside of Denmark.

Third site purchased

2019
Novo Nordisk expands its presence in the Research Triangle region with a new facility in Durham, N.C., where a team will tablet and package our innovative oral medications for people with Type 2 diabetes.
2019

Third site purchased

Novo Nordisk expands its presence in the Research Triangle region with a new facility in Durham, N.C., where a team will tablet and package our innovative oral medications for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Construction completed on second Clayton facility

2020
First active pharmaceutical ingredient facility in U.S. is completed, achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its healthy, highly-efficient and cost-saving green design.
2020

Construction completed on second Clayton facility

First active pharmaceutical ingredient facility in U.S. is completed, achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its healthy, highly-efficient and cost-saving green design.

First oral products to market

2021
The first oral GLP-1 treatments for Type 2 diabetes are shipped out from Durham to be delivered to patients around the world.
2021

First oral products to market

The first oral GLP-1 treatments for Type 2 diabetes are shipped out from Durham to be delivered to patients around the world.

Another record-breaking investment announced

2024
Novo Nordisk makes state history again, announcing the largest single life science investment in North Carolina with plans to build a $4.1 billion state-of-the-art facility to help increase our capacity to produce innovative treatments for diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases.
2024

Another record-breaking investment announced

Novo Nordisk makes state history again, announcing the largest single life science investment in North Carolina with plans to build a $4.1 billion state-of-the-art facility to help increase our capacity to produce innovative treatments for diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases.

Beyond
Beyond

Embedded within the fabric of Novo Nordisk's enduring commitment to North Carolina is the guiding influence of the Novo Nordisk Way. The Novo Nordisk Way is a set of guiding principles underpinning every decision we make. It inspires us to be a responsible business leader, one that is committed to increasing the talent pipeline with our local higher education partners by investing millions of dollars into education and workforce development for the life science industry.

We take great pride in our long-standing partnership with the state’s top-tier research universities and community college system, as well as civic, business, and industry organizations.