The leader in diabetes care opened its expanded insulin manufacturing facility in North Carolina, US, on Friday in a bid to meet the increasing demand for its FlexPen.
The renovations to the now 200,000 sq ft. facility in Clayton cost $100m and would double the company's domestic insulin filing capabilities and initiate the first domestic production of FlexPen.
Earlier this year the company invested $200m in expanding its insulin production facilities in Montes Claros, Brazil, as well as an additional $50m for the construction of a FlexPen manufacturing facility there, and earlier this month, the company announced an expansion of its existing Hillerod facility in Denmark.
In late 2004, the company announced a significant expansion of its insulin production facilities in Tianjin China, consolidating existing packaging facilities for Penfill cartridges and FlexPen.
The latest move marked the second expansion in three years in Clayton, the company's only insulin manufacturing facility in the US.
"With the new commitment of resources in the United States, Novo Nordisk is fulfilling its pledge to change diabetes by helping to improve the lives of millions of Americans living with the disease." Lars Nobert, vice president of the facility said in a statement.
Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, another 54 million have pre-diabetes and are at risk of developing the disease.
Insulin pens can be used instead of vials and syringes for giving insulin injections, with FlexPen leading the way as the world's top selling pre-filled insulin pen.
But competition in the insulin pen market is fierce.
Sanofi-Aventis launched its new disposable insulin pen SoloStar in Germany in April and recently received approval for marketing in the US. The company said the pen was designed to address a broader spectrum of patient needs than currently available injection devices.
In 2005 Novo Nordisk filed a lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis, alleging the latter infringed patent protection covering FlexPen, when OptiClick was approved the previous year by the FDA. The case is expected in court this year.
Novo Nordisk was unavailable for comment at time of publishing.