Novo Nordisk breaks ground on new plant in Russia

On April 17th, Novo Nordisk held the groundbreaking ceremony for a new USD 100 million insulin plant in Kaluga. Upon completion of the construction, the new plant will meet the overall demand for the most advanced products for diabetes treatment, namely modern insulins, for Russian patients. Located in Grabtsevo Technopark in the Kaluga Region, the plant is expected to start manufacturing in 2014. It is designed in line with European and Russian GMP standards and environment, safety and energy efficiency requirements, and will create more than 160 jobs.

The company’s intention to establish insulin production in Russia was first announced in April 2010 during the visit to Denmark of Dmitry Medvedev. At that time, agreement of cooperation between the Government of the Kaluga Region and Novo Nordisk was signed.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Anatoliy Artamonov, governor of the Kaluga Region, Tom Risdahl Jensen, Denmark’s ambassador to Russia, Lars Rebien Sшrensen, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, Sergei Smirnov, vice president of Novo Nordisk’s Business Area CIS.

The ceremony participants waived conventional groundbreaking schemes. Instead of following commonly adopted traditions, the governor and Lars used bicycles that created an electrical impulse, which triggered a light wave spotlighting the insulin molecule. This event symbolised the commitment to both environmentally friendly technologies and an active lifestyle, an important element of diabetes prevention.

In recent years, the Kaluga Region has become one of the fastest developing regions of Russia. Several priority areas for action are being promoted by the regional administration, including attraction of direct investments. "The government of the region and personally the Governor created very favourable conditions for investment activities by foreign companies, doing everything to remove the bureaucratic obstacles and delays in this process," explained Tom Risdahl Jensen.

Anatoliy Artamonov said that one of the primary focus areas for the Kaluga Region is the establishment and development of pharmaceutical industry. He praised the work done by Novo Nordisk within this direction, and named the company a ‘trendsetter’ in the pharmaceutical industry.

Sergei Smirnov expressed confidence that the good relationship between the company and the region will be further strengthened. As an example of Novo Nordisk’s commitment to the area, he mentioned that Novo Nordisk has joined the Kaluga Pharmaceutical Cluster Partnership that consolidates the efforts towards building a high-tech complex of manufacturing and infrastructure facilities. As part of this initiative, Novo Nordisk participates actively in developing key regional programmes such as a centre for professional training for the pharmaceutical industry.