Novo Nordisk invests $115M to expand quality control lab testing at China site

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has signed a memorandum of understanding with TEDA Administrative Commission to invest approximately RMB 800 million (about $115 million) in expanding quality testing laboratories at Novo Nordisk’s manufacturing site in Tianjin, China.

The TEDA Administrative Commission oversees the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), one of China’s national-level industrial zones established to attract high-tech and international manufacturing investment.

The planned complex, spanning 194,000 square feet, reportedly will include chemical, microbiological, and biological laboratories. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026 and will enable the site to meet future quality control requirements for biopharmaceutical production, according to Novo Nordisk.

The investment builds on the company’s more than RMB 10 billion (approximately $1.44 billion) cumulative investment in TEDA since 1994, including RMB 1.18 billion in 2023 for a finished-products expansion and a prefilled pen line, and RMB 4 billion in 2024 for sterile formulation capacity, the company said.

This expansion follows three major global manufacturing investments Novo Nordisk announced this year: a $2.3 billion fill-finish facility in Italy, a $1 billion biopharma plant in Brazil for GLP‑1 production, and a planned $9 billion capacity build-out. 

Together, these developments mark a global manufacturing expansion that spans North America, Europe, Latin America, and China — all focused on enhancing fill-finish, testing, and sterile manufacturing capabilities to meet rising demand for obesity- and diabetes-focused biologics.