Novo Nordisk Cuts U.S. Plant Jobs in Strategic Restructuring

Novo Nordisk has quietly initiated job cuts at its Clayton, North Carolina facility—the company’s largest U.S. manufacturing site for its blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs—according to LinkedIn profiles and internal posts.  These reductions target frontline roles from quality control to production technicians, underscoring how deep the restructuring is going under new CEO Mike Doustdar. 

The Clayton plant produces semaglutide, the active ingredient in both Wegovy and Ozempic, and handles drug filling, finishing, and packaging operations.  While the site also figures into a planned $4.1 billion expansion, the layoffs suggest the company is seeking sharper cost control even in core operations. 

These cuts are a subset of a broader global downsizing effort—Novo announced 9,000 layoffs worldwide just last month.  The move signals that the company is trimming beyond administrative or support roles, reaching into manufacturing despite the high stakes in the U.S. market. 

Novo Nordisk’s shares rose modestly following news of the cuts, though the company has not disclosed further detail, citing ongoing internal processes and a desire to support affected employees.  Meanwhile, pressure mounts on pharmaceutical firms to boost domestic production amid political calls for job creation. 

In sum: the job cuts at a major U.S. production hub reflect how Novo Nordisk is rethinking its operations amid slowing growth and intensifying rivalry in the weight-loss drug space—a signal that even its most strategic facilities are not exempt from cost discipline.