Novo Nordisk

About

We are a global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure the diseases we treat. Our story began over 100 years ago when two small Danish companies started producing the revolutionary new drug, insulin, which had just been discovered by Canadian scientists. These companies, Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium and Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, were established by individuals driven by a common goal: to make life-saving insulin available to people with diabetes in Denmark and beyond. August Krogh, a Nobel laureate, and his wife Marie, a physician whose own diabetes fueled their quest, played a pivotal role in bringing insulin production to Denmark, leading to the founding of Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium in 1923. Shortly after, in 1925, the Pedersen brothers, former Nordisk employees, established Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, creating a dynamic of competition and innovation that would characterize the Danish pharmaceutical landscape for decades. After years of parallel growth and groundbreaking research, these two entities merged in 1989 to form Novo Nordisk A/S, a company that has since expanded rapidly. Today, we are a world leader not only in diabetes care but also in obesity care, haemophilia care, and therapies for rare endocrine disorders. Our commitment extends beyond developing innovative medicines; we strive to make them accessible to patients worldwide. We employ more than 77,000 people across 80 offices globally and market our products in approximately 170 countries. The Novo Nordisk Way, our set of guiding principles, is rooted in the vision of our founders and continues to inspire our thousands of colleagues. We are dedicated to applying our passion, skills, and commitment to defeat serious chronic diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people and represent some of the most urgent global health challenges. Our U.S. headquarters is located in Plainsboro, New Jersey, playing a vital role in the life sciences industry through sales, marketing, and clinical trial management for all Novo Nordisk U.S. products. We are also significantly investing in manufacturing capabilities, including a $4.1 billion expansion in North Carolina, to meet the growing demand for our diabetes and obesity medications.