Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) has reportedly laid off dozens of employees at its largest U.S. manufacturing site in North Carolina, part of a global restructuring effort under new CEO Mike Doustdar.
The drugmaker has cutting even in frontline production roles as it looks to streamline costs and reposition itself in the heated weight-loss drug market.
According to a Reuters review of LinkedIn posts, affected staff in quality control, production, and other technical roles at the Clayton facility, which produces semaglutide — the active ingredient in obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic.
While relatively small compared with the company’s planned 9,000 global job reductions, the North Carolina layoffs underscore how Novo is tightening operations in the U.S., its biggest market.
The Clayton site also handles the filling, finishing, and packaging of injections and is expected to play a central role in producing a pill version of Wegovy once it becomes available.
The layoffs follow earlier U.S. reductions focused on the obesity education team.
Trump’s Manufacturing Push
The job cuts also come amid growing political pressure. The Trump administration has called for pharmaceutical companies to expand domestic drug manufacturing and create more American jobs.
Posts on LinkedIn showed at least 47 workers in North Carolina directly stating they had been laid off or were searching for new jobs, the Reuters report said.
Impacted positions ranged from technicians to project coordinators, a communications manager, and an HR assistant.
At the same time, Novo is moving forward with a $4.1 billion expansion at the Clayton facility, which employed approximately 2,500 people in 2024 and was expected to add an additional 1,000 jobs.
The layoffs came three weeks after Doustdar announced the broader restructuring plan.
Novo Nordisk Stock
Novo Nordisk shares were down 0.92% at $59.10 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Novo Nordisk, which is a major player in the pharmaceuticals sector with a market cap of $262.61 billion, has seen its stock volatile and fluctuate significantly within a 52-week range of $45.05 to $120.56.
The P/E ratio of 15.23 is relatively moderate, suggesting that the stock may be undervalued compared to peers, while a dividend yield of 2.9% reflects a commitment to returning value to shareholders amidst strong growth prospects.
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