Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical firm headquartered in Bagsværd, with manufacturing facilities across nine countries and affiliates or offices in five others. The company is predominantly controlled by its majority shareholder, Novo Holdings A/S, which owns approximately 28.1% of its shares and a majority of its voting rights.
Novo Nordisk specializes in the production and marketing of pharmaceutical products and services, focusing primarily on diabetes care medications and devices. Among its key products is semaglutide, utilized for diabetes treatment under the brand names Ozempic and Rybelsus, as well as for obesity treatment under the brand name Wegovy. The company also engages in hemostasis management, growth hormone therapy, and hormone replacement therapy, producing numerous drugs under various brand names such as Levemir, Tresiba, NovoLog, Novolin R, NovoSeven, NovoEight, and Victoza.
Employing over 48,000 individuals worldwide, Novo Nordisk distributes its products in 168 countries. The corporation was formed in 1989 from a merger of two Danish companies with origins tracing back to the 1920s. The Novo Nordisk logo features the Apis bull, a sacred animal from ancient Egypt, represented by the hieroglyph 𓃒. Novo Nordisk is also a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.
Recognized for its workplace culture, the company was ranked 25th among Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2010, later ranking 72nd in 2014 and 73rd in 2017. In January 2012, Novo Nordisk was acclaimed as the most sustainable company globally by Corporate Knights, while its spin-off, Novozymes, secured the fourth position. The company is a leader in the FTSE4Good Index and stands as the only European firm in the top ten list. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Denmark, Novo Nordisk's market capitalization surpassed the GDP of Denmark's domestic economy in 2023, making it the highest valued company in Europe, with net sales reaching US$42.121 billion in 2024.