Denmark headquartered Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care, has opened a new manufacturing facility in Russia for formulation and filling of modern insulin for the treatment of diabetes. The production will cover both Penfill cartridges and FlexPen pre-filled insulin injection pens for the Russian market.

The new facility will be operating in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and is located in Technopark Grabtsevo in the Kaluga region of Russia.

"The manufacturing facility in Kaluga is a sign of our long-term commitment to people with diabetes in Russia, where close to 10 million people have the disease according to local studies. With our investment in local manufacturing, we ensure availability of high-quality modern insulins to the people with diabetes in Russia who rely on our products every day," said Lars Rebien Sørensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk.

This is the first and only greenfield facility for the manufacturing of modern insulin in Russia. Environmental targets for carbon dioxide emission, water consumption and use of energy have been established. With the construction of the new facility, Novo Nordisk has so far created around 150 new jobs.

"The opening of Novo Nordisk manufacturing facility in Kaluga is a sign of confidence in our region, as well as an important stage in the formation of a pharmaceutical cluster in Kaluga. I am convinced that the new facility will have a significant impact on improving the quality of life for people with diabetes in Kaluga as well as in the rest of Russia," said Kaluga region governor, Anatoly Artamonov.

Novo Nordisk also has production sites in Denmark, Brazil, China, France and the US.