Wegovy-maker Novo Nordisk buys land in Denmark for potential new production plant

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk, the maker of weight-loss drug Wegovy, earlier this month bought a 200-acre site in Denmark's third largest city Odense and will begin preparatory excavation works for a potential new production plant, it said on Tuesday.

Novo last year became Europe's most valuable company due to the success of its weight-loss treatment Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic.

The company has spent billions to boost production - mostly in its native Denmark and in the United States - as it has struggled to meet huge demand.

The company did not say what the site in Odense - which will be a new location for Novo - would be used for. But according to an environmental report submitted to authorities by the company in January, the plans include facilities to fill injection pens - a process known as fill-finish.

"With the political processes and approvals in place, we are pleased to announce that Novo Nordisk is now the owner of the site in Tietgenbyen in Odense," the company said in an emailed statement.

"We are still awaiting the outcome of our internal approval process before we can take the final decision at the end of the year," it said.

The plans include building a packaging facility by 2026 and moulding of plastic components for pens and potentially tablet production by 2030, according to the environmental report.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)