By 2007, when phase two of the expansion is expected to be completed, the 45.6-acre site will become the main supplier of insulin to the US market, which represents 28% of Novo Nordisk’s total business. The company is now the volume leader for insulin in the US market.

“This expansion demonstrates Novo Nordisk’s commitment to serving the insulin needs of people who are living with diabetes throughout the US, which is a huge market,” said Lars Eriksen, project director at Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals.

Construction of the first phase, covering 929 square metres, began in December 2004. It is scheduled for completion in 2006 and will allow Novo Nordisk to more than double its insulin-filling capabilities. The second phase will include two assembly and packaging lines to accommodate the company’s insulin delivery device, FlexPen. It will also provide 16,722 square metres of space for extra storage, administration and packaging. “This development means that we will be able to meet the future demand in the US for FlexPen, which has so far been produced in Denmark and France. From 2007, FlexPen will be produced at Clayton for the US market,” said Mr Eriksen.

Novo Nordisk took over the Clayton site in 1991. The operation supplies products to countries worldwide, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Hungary, Bulgaria and Argentina. Fifty of the 380 employees at the Clayton site are already working on the new project and, when phase two is completed, the workforce is expected to reach more than 500.

Novo Nordisk employs 20,285 people in 78 countries and has been a world leader in diabetes care since 1923. It also holds its leading position in haemostasis management, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. It is one of Denmark’s largest companies in terms of market capacity, turnover and employment, accounting for approximately 2% of Denmark’s GDP and 5% of its corporate tax revenues.