Novo Nordisk is investing 2.1 billion Danish kroner in a new 10,300 m2 facility in Hillerød, Denmark. The facility will produce medicines for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.

A groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction work was held on November 4 at the company's Hillerød site, attended by the mayor of Hillerød, Dorte Meldgaard.

The facility is expected to be operational in 2019 and will create 450 new production and engineering jobs in Hillerød, where Novo Nordisk already employs 1,900 people.

Incorporating the latest state-of-the-art insulin production technology, the new insulin filling facility will ensure production capacity for existing and future products within diabetes.

"The investment in Hillerød underscores our long-term ambition to create and maintain jobs in Denmark. This year alone we have created 1,000 new jobs in Denmark, of which 500 are in production, primarily in Kalundborg and Hillerød," said Henrik Wulff, executive vice president and head of Product Supply, Novo Nordisk.

Established in 1992, the Hillerød site covers an area of about 1,650,000 m2, of which 90,000 m2 is used for production, research and development. The site houses a facility for device R&D and three production facilities: one for moulding and pre-assembly of components, one for filling, assembly and packaging of diabetes finished products and one for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients for haemophilia products. Novo Nordisk has made ongoing investments in the site of approximately 350 million kroner per year on average.