Safeguarding your regulatory compliance

Cell culture in bioprocessing

Cell culture remains one of the most important bioprocessing tools we have today. The classic example of this process is the cell culture of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, used to express therapeutic proteins such as antibodies, cytokines, enzymes, and hormones.

Case study: Optimize CHO-S cell culture

This study focuses on the improvement of CHO-S cell growth producing the antibody Herceptin by addition of animal-free recombinant insulin (r-insulin) as a supplement to commercially available chemically defined media.

Located directly by a Natura 2000 area

It is well-known that beautiful surroundings give peace of mind. Therefore, we could not be more pleased about our location by Køge bay. We are located directly by a Natura 2000 area consisting of a barrier beach, a lagoon, and on the land side of it, salt marshes.

Our most valuable resource

With an average score of 89 about our people (on a scale from 0 to 100), we are very proud of the result and will do our best to keep our customers satisfied – both at our headquarter in Denmark and at our affiliates in Singapore and the US.

Enabling the next wave of innovative drug therapies with speciality enzymes

In the evolving biotechnology industry, enzymes are important process aids. “Specialty enzymes are proteins that can act as very specific biocatalysts to accelerate reactions and produce the desired target molecule in pharmaceuticals,” explains Kristoffer Laursen.

"Kemien skal være i orden"

"Dansk Erhverv Magasinet" interviewed Ulla Grove Krogsgaard Thomsen about her background at Novo Nordisk, her first years as a leader in the then male-dominated world, and how she strives as the CEO at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech. “To be successful as a leader, it is not enough to have control of the chemical processes”

Audit of ISO standard certificates

In May, we had the yearly following-up audit of our 3 ISO standard certificates, and we are proud to say there were no findings. This is a result founded by dedicated work among our employees complemented by a strengthened learning culture across our whole value chain at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech

BPI Europe 2022

On May 18-19 our team will attend the conference and staff our booth in the exhibition hall. In addition to learning more about our existing and future products, you even have the chance to win great prizes on our shuffleboard. Stop by and say hello at booth 71.

Our culture is an essential part of our business framework

Making sure our company is a great place to work ensures that we are not just a good company but a great one. This mindset made us close the entire company for a day to discuss our culture. Focusing on what makes us strong is especially important now as the number of employees grows every month.

US Sales Managers on the road

In May you have an excellent opportunity to meet our two US Sales Managers on the road. Mike Vincent and Pari-Naz Javaheri will attend three conferences and trade shows: Prep Symposium in Baltimore, CPhI North America in Pennsylvania and Interphex in New York City.

A kestrel has moved in

We have expanded our facilities and welcomed a new member of the Novo Nordisk Pharmatech family: a kestrel. The kestrel has been a regular visitor to our site since last year. And now we have installed a nest box for him and his companion. Supporting our Circular for Zero strategy, the 8-meter high pole has been recycled.

Our growth strategy

In 2022 we are executing on our growth strategy, preparing for the launch of our first recombinant GMP grade enzymes. This supports our mission to enable better medicines in the biopharmaceutical and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products markets. The expanded global presence achieved with the establishment of the sales office in the USA will enhance and support our future external product launches.

Annual report 2021

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech delivered a satisfactory 2021 result with external sales above our expectations, a net profit that was on par with last year, solid progress within our production footprint, and our pipeline of new products. You can read the full annual report for 2021 here.

Key component in serum-free growth media for mammalian cells

Recombinant insulin is a key component in serum-free growth media for mammalian cells. It is used many cell lines, such as CHO-s, HEK 293, and Sf9, for the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, virus vaccines and gene therapy products. It can also be used in other biological drug products.

Meet our Customer Support team

They take good care of our customer’s purchasing orders and are responsible for ensuring that orders arrive timely at our customer’s facilities worldwide. Besides order handling and shipping, our customers also communicate with Customer Support if they have any requests for quality documentation.

Life science executive of the year

We are proud to announce that our CEO Ulla Grove Krogsgaard Thomsen has been nominated as Life science executive of the year. One of the reasons for the nomination is that she appears with great authenticity in her persona and leadership and has managed to set clear directions, purposes, and priorities for her organizations.

How do Quats work?

Quaternary ammonium compounds, commonly known as Quats, are a group of cationic surfactants with a high level of antibacterial activity and an important role to play in the pharmaceutical industry. Key examples include Benzalkonium Chloride (BCK), Cetrimide, and Cetrimonium Bromide (CTAB), but how do they work?

Novo Nations at Pharmatech

As a global company, we hire people from all over the world and focus on creating an inclusive atmosphere. We are proud of having 14 different nationalities among our 200+ employees on-site at Køge, Denmark. Initiated by some of our international colleagues, we launched Novo Nations at Pharmatech last week.

Wide range of applications

Proven under ICH Q1 conditions, our Quats are very stable. They are powerful antimicrobial surfactants, soluble in aqueous and oily phases, and basically active at all pH ranges. They can be used for many applications requiring high purity and quality, such as ophthalmics, nasal sprays, topical products, vaccine, and gene therapy processes.

The purpose of an excipient

Our Quats products, e.g. Benzalkonium Chloride (BKC), are safe and effective pharmaceutical excipients. But what is the purpose of an excipient, and what is the difference between an excipient and an active substance?

As promised, trees will be planted!

Before Christmas, we decided to collect comments on a LinkedIn post. Every comment would result in a planted tree together with One Tree Planted. We chose to expand and plant 100 trees on the continents possible = 600 trees planted.

We will plant a tree for your opinion!

Since August, this has been our procedure whenever we have sent our NPS survey to our customers, and we have donated a tree via One Tree Planted for every NPS score we have received.

Managing risk is central to the business in Novo Nordisk Pharmatech

Managing risk is central to the business in Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S, as it is critical for us to protect our assets, our employees, and the business of our customers.

Novozymes and Novo Nordisk Pharmatech announce collaboration agreement on specialty enzymes

Novozymes and Novo Nordisk Pharmatech announce a collaboration agreement that combines the companies’ joint competencies and interests within the development of specialty enzymes for use in biopharma processing and regenerative medicines. An initial product is expected to be brought to commercialization within a few years.

Webinar with Helm de Mexico

In a constantly moving market for antimicrobials of high quality, we always support our distributors in their strategy to educate the local markets. On November 25, Helm de Mexico hosted a webinar: “Sourcing the Best Quality, GMP Antimicrobials - Quats from Novo Nordisk Pharmatech”.

Our cGMP Benzalkonium Chloride

Quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats) such as Benzalkonium Chloride are well-known antiseptics, effective against bacteria, fungi (yeast and mold) and algae. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨?

CPhI Worldwide Expo in Milan

On November 9-11, we were an exhibitor at the physical CPhI Worldwide Expo in Milan in the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) zone. We exhibited from booth 18K49 in Hall 18 at the Fiera Milano exhibition centre and talked about our world-leading range of pharmaceutical grade Quats at the booth.

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech at Exhibitions

During week 43, we had the pleasure of re-connecting and networking with the market in person. Both at Cell UK in London, World Bioprocessing Summit in Berlin and Antibody-based Therapeutics and BioProduction Forum in Shanghai.

From cultured meat to artificial blood

Recombinant Insulin has for decades protected the lives of millions of diabetic patients worldwide. Meanwhile, Insulin has become an instrumental component in serum-free growth media for mammalian cells, helping scientists manufacture innovative drug products.

Ensuring quality assurance

In Pharma Focus Asia newest issue, you can read the interview with our Managing Director Ulla Grove Krogsgaard Thomsen. In the interview, she talks about the role of formal documentation in quality assurance, ensuring the quality of materials and products and the benefits of using cGMP Quats as excipients.

Flower meadow and biodiversity

To increase biodiversity through better habitats and food for insects, birds and other animals, we have established a flower meadow on our production site in Køge. We have established the flower meadow on a 1,500 m2 area reserved for future expansion of production.

Distribution agreement with HELM de México

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech has entered into an agreement with HELM de México to distribute pharmaceutical grade quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats). HELM de México, S.A. has marketed raw materials for over 120 years with more than 100 subsidiaries, sales offices and participations in over 30 countries.

From student intern to a full-time employee

The road from being a student intern or assistant to a full-time employee is not long at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S. As part of our talent pipeline, we can sometimes offer full-time positions within their field upon completion of their studies. Meet two of our recent hirings, Emma Lillebro Striib Nielsen and Dimitri Kobrossi.

We are really happy for the support you have given us

At Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S, we work with the “triple bottom line” – covering our environmental performance as well as our financial and social performance. We value the relationship to the surrounding society and therefore support local activities, events and projects within healthy lifestyle promotion.

Using recombinant insulin in DoE for media development

In the presentation “Why Use Recombinant Insulin in DoE For Your Media Development?”, Product Manager Chantale Julien share a case study conducted in partnership with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

New Sales Managers in Boston

Meet our Sales Managers at our newly established sales office in Boston. They have been on site in Denmark the previous weeks to learn about our business, existing and future products, our markets and strategies.

CO2 neutral company since 2018

Since 2018, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech is considered a CO2 neutral company. This environmental improvement is due to an agreement from 2015 on energy distribution, ensuring that Novo Nordisk Pharmatech is only supplied with renewable energy produced by windmills.

Our yearly NPS score in 2020 was 83

"Everyone is efficient, helpful and responsive to our questions and requests. We are appreciative of all they do to make our experience so positive. The product is the primary reason we sought out the relationship, and the service is why we seek to keep it as our primary source."

I have grown in my professional identity

"For the last five months I have been a part of the People & Organisation unit as an intern. I have grown in my professional identity as organisational psychologist while at the same contributing to creating meaningful change at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech."

Distribution agreement with IMCoPharma a.s.

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S has entered into an agreement with IMCoPharma a.s. for the distribution of their pharmaceutical range of quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats) to the healthcare industry in Russian market and CIS countries.

Fostering an inclusive environment

Among our leaders and in our departments, we have initiated dialogues around fostering an inclusive environment during June. Through testimonies and examples, we have investigated our own biases and pitfalls, and through conversations in the teams, our leaders have asked for feedback on how they can be more inclusive as leaders.

Meet Verena Reiser

Meet Verena Reiser. Verena is an enzyme specialist in our Research & Development department and has been a part of Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S since 2019. Verena is part of the core behind our 2025 strategy for enzymes and is working on creating the framework for our future enzyme development.

Jacob Petersen - newest member of our Board of Directors

We are pleased to welcome Jacob Petersen as the newest member of our Board of Directors. Jacob has since 2018 been head of Stem Cell R&D Unit at Novo Nordisk, being responsible for the entire R&D value chain. He has also been involved in promoting a more international presence for Novo Nordisk Research.

Virtual Distributor Event

May 27-28 2021, we ran our first virtual Distributor event. With more than 90 participants from our global Distributor network we were excited to broadcast live from our site in Køge (Denmark) and it turned out to be a success.

Get to know Novo Nordisk Pharmatech

You can visit our site in Køge (Denmark) and get more knowledge about the company in our corporate video. At Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S we provide pharma grade Quats and Insulin Human AF to some of the world´s largest pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. All manufactured at cGMP facilities

What is Insulin Human AF? See our FAQ

What is Insulin Human AF? Which applications is our Insulin Human AF suitable for? And what insulin concentration do we recommend adding to the base medium to improve growth or expression when using CHO (HEK293, BKH…) for protein expression?

Meet Henriette Lentz

Henriette is the Associate Manager for our EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) team and is responsible for health, safety and risk issues. At Novo Nordisk Pharmatech we have been proudly CO2 neutral since 2018. We are supplied with renewable energy produced by windmills, while our gas consumption comes from biogas certificates.

Meet Maria Bukh Almstrup

Maria is P&O Senior Manager for our HR, Communication and Training department. At Novo Nordisk Pharmatech we are an international organisation with more than 14 different nationalities. We cover the entire value chain and we are very dependent on each other.

Get answers to your questions - FAQ

How do we ensure the quality, purity and consistency of our Quats products? What is the difference between Cetrimide and CTAB (Cetrimonium Bromide)? And do we keep stock for all Quats products?

Meet Maxim Sierra Koltomov

Maxim is the Associate Manager at our Supply Chain team. The team focuses on sourcing raw materials, executing the production plan and supporting our future product pipeline.

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech´ s new CEO has a head start

Ulla Grove Krogsgaard Thomsen, the new CEO at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S, comes with a strong background in Research & Development and Product Supply within Novo Nordisk A/S. Over the last two years, she has been a board member at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech, which has now appointed her as their new CEO.

Meet Tine Holland Frimann

Meet Tine Holland Frimann. Tine is GMP Area Specialist in our Quality & Regulatory affairs department. The department covers quality control, quality assurance and regulatory affairs.

2021: New sales office and multipurpose facility

In 2021, we will prepare the launch our first recombinant GMP grade enzyme aimed at the biopharmaceutical and regenerative medicine market. In order to support the launch and subsequent product launches, we are establishing a sales office in the US.

Meet Mikkel Mølvig Dalsø

Meet Mikkel Mølvig Dalsø, the Associate Manager in our Manufacturing. Here we we produce pharma grade quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as Quats.

Annual report 2020; Letter from management

2020 has been a year where no part of society has been left untouched due to COVID-19. This also goes for Novo Nordisk Pharmatech, who for better and worse, has been able to navigate this challenging business environment.

Meet Kate Lützhøft

Meet Kate Lützhøft, the Associate Manager at our Insulin factory, our ALP production and our warehouse.

Looking back and looking ahead: An interview with Rasmus Hother le Fevre

We sat down with Rasmus Hother le Fevre, Managing Director and Corporate Vice President of Novo Nordisk Pharmatech, to talk about the impact of COVID-19, and look ahead at the strategic vision for 2021 and beyond.

Pharmaceutical grade Quats in accordance with cGMP Guide ICH Q7 for APIs

We manufacture our pharmaceutical grade Quats in accordance with the cGMP Guide ICH Q7 for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), the highest available quality standard in the industry.

Meet Kristoffer Laursen

Meet our Research & Development Director Kristoffer Laursen. Kristoffer is head of our R&D department which consists of more than 30 people.

A good start is half the work

New colleagues always start with a two-day onboarding program. This is to ensure a good beginning – regardless the type of employment.

Meet Gernot Stadlmann

Gernot is head of our Sales and Marketing department consisting of our experienced Customer Support team, Sales Managers, Product Managers, Product Development and Marketing.

Striving for zero environmental impact

Environmental challenges have never been more critical or more urgent than they are today.

How does Insulin Human AF differ from animal-derived insulin

Insulin Human AF, also known as recombinant insulin, consists of human insulin crystals – a biosynthetic product produced by recombinant microbial expression in yeast.

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech will contribute to the scientific agenda at BPI Digital Week

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech will contribute to the scientific agenda at BioProcess International Digital Week (Dec 7-10) with a presentation on upgrading cell stem cultures.

Take a look inside our cGMP Quats manufacturing facilities

Being cGMP certified, we ensure that every aspect of our manufacturing process is in control – from our own suppliers to the finished product. We source the best raw ingredients, which are sampled to check they are in specification.

Get peace of mind for your full product life cycle

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech helps customers reduce their risk, with a high level of consistency in both the quality and supply of our Quats and Human Insulin AF.

A strong partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific

“Novo Nordisk Pharmatech is a top performer across our supplier measurements. But it’s different from just supply and order – this is a partnership,” Vince Saint explains.

Reduce the risk for your raw materials with pharma-grade Quats

If you want to reduce the risk for your raw materials, pharma-grade Quats is the way to go – both for APIs and expients. We are specialists and a dedicated manufacturer of Quats in an unequalled, full cGMP grade.

Why use recombinant Insulin in DoE for your media development?

On October 6-7 we will make our debut at Cell Series UK virtual conferences. We are contributing to the Cell Culture and Bioprocessing conference track on Cell Media.

Join us at CPhI Festival of Pharma

We will maintain our longstanding relationship with CPhI as a Platinum Sponsor of the online event, sponsoring the keynote: “How will lessons learnt from COVID-19 shape new EU pharmaceutical policy”.

How can you mitigate your raw material risk, especially during a pandemic?

The COVID-19 crisis has reinforced the importance of having a strong supply chain and a risk-management and business-continuity plan. Which risks have you identified?

Avoid the risk of impurities with our Insulin Human AF

With Insulin Human AF, you avoid the risk of impurities such as mycoplasmas, which can pass line to line from the upstream bioreactor and contaminate your whole line.

It’s our responsibility to nurture the next generation of talent.

We believe it’s our responsibility to nurture the industry’s next generation of talent. But, equally, we also gain so much from our interns’ broad range of educational and cultural backgrounds.

Ensuring regulatory compliance with Brenntag Specialities

“Novo Nordisk Pharmatech’s Quats meet the European, US, British and Japanese pharmacopoeias, which is a great asset for our marketing.”

We are certified to ISO 45001

We are now certified to ISO 45001, the newest ISO standard within OH&S. ISO 45001 has become one of the most eagerly awaited standards in the world and is set to drastically improve levels of workplace safety.

Key component in serum free growth media for mammalian cells

Our recombinant insulin is a key component in serum free growth media for mammalian cells. It is used in many cell lines for the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, virus vaccines and gene therapy products.

Our employees can commute in a green way

As a natural consequence of our Circular for Zero environmental strategy we have established 10 parking spaces with charging stations for electric vehicles. This makes it even more attractive to commute in a green way.

Securing your end-to-end supply chain

Supply chain safety, quality and reliability are key to all our Quats and Insulin Human customers. Here is how we can help you secure your supply chain, from sourcing raw materials to delivering your products as promised – even in a global crisis.

Long seniority and high professionalism

Long seniority and high professionalism are both important cornerstones in our business. Almost half of our colleagues have a seniority above 10 years in the Novo Nordisk Group.

BioProcess International Europe 2020

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech is an active part of Europe´s leading Bioprocessing. You will here get much more information about our Insulin Human AF and how it can help you in your upstream processes.

Facing a pandemic as COVID-19

Our customers depend on us to deliver their needed products – even when we are facing a pandemic as COVID-19. While our customers depend on us, we depend on our employees.

A wide range of capabilities are available at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S

A wide range of capabilities are available at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S within the various departments; Sales and Marketing, R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Business Support and HR & Communication.

Increase viable CHO cell density with recombinant Insulin Human AF

You can increase viable CHO cell density by supplementing with recombinant Insulin Human AF. CHO cells are one of the most widely used platforms to produce biopharmaceuticals.

How do we ensure the quality of materials and products?

What are the benefits of using cGMP Quats as excipients? And how does Novo Nordisk Pharmatech ensure to stay on top of the pace of technology change?

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S has been a CO2 neutral company since 2018

We have zero CO2 emissions from energy consumption. In 2019 we also committed to the Novo Nordisk Circular for Zero environmental strategy. This means we will strive to have zero environmental impact by 2030.

We will develop our employees

We will develop our employees. This is one of our goals at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech. Therefore, from the first day we encourage our employees to think about their continuing education.

Extensive experience supplying Quats for the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries

Did you know that we at Novo Nordisk Pharmatech have 70 years of extensive experience supplying Quats (quaternary ammonium compounds) for the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries? Do you also know the story behind our company name?

Reliable supply of the highest quality ingredients for biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries

Recombinant Insulin for cell growth media and pharmaceutical grade Quaternary Ammonium Compounds. Both manufactured to cGMP standards. Our proven record of precision delivery and product quality allows you to keep development on track and production flowing.

Our full cGMP processes make us the leading supplier for a wide range of applications

Proven under ICH Q1 conditions, our Quats are very stable. They are powerful antimicrobial surfactants, soluble both in aqueous and oily phases and basically active at all pH ranges. They can be used for a large number of applications requiring high purity and quality.

Almost four weeks has passed since the first COVID-19 announcement

Plans were made in regard to prioritizing within the frame set by the authorities and it was quickly evident that we are change ready and flexible in solving that task. This way we can still ensure that our customers will receive the same high-quality products as always.

Grow your cells with recombinant Insulin

We source our recombinant insulin directly from our mother company Novo Nordisk, the world’ s largest insulin producer. Thanks to our solid supply chain, you can keep development on track, production flowing, and products supplied to hospitals and patients.

Manage risk in downstream vaccine production

CTAB, called Cetrimonium Bromide or Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide, is a powerful cationic surfactant for use in vaccine downstream purification steps.

COVID-19: Looking for an effective antimicrobial agent?

BKC is an ideal antimicrobial agent with proven efficacy. It is broadly used in topical and wound care products such as hand sanitizers, antiseptic liquids, foams, gels and cleansing wipes.

Increase VCD and specific viral yield

The vaccine industry is challenged to produce large quantities of vaccines in a rapid and cost-effective way. Major changes to current bioprocesses are both difficult and very expensive to implement.

Coronavirus´ impact on current product portfolio

Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S is continuously reviewing the likely impact upon its supply chain if product availability is affected by the consequences of the coronavirus.

Our NPS score for 2019 ended at impressive 76

Since 2014 we have significantly improved our NPS score*, and in 2019 we had an impressive average score of 76. NPS scores range from -100 to 100.

Welcome our new Director of Manufacturing John Halfdan Boiesen

Our Director of Manufacturing will be heading up the manufacturing facility ensuring that we deliver high quality products in regulatory compliance. Part of the Manufacturing responsibility is to ensure that we have all necessary permissions to operate and operate with minimal environmental impact.

Chantale Julien has re-joined Novo Nordisk Pharmatech

We are pleased to announce that Chantale Julien has re-joined Novo Nordisk Pharmatech on January 1st, 2020. Chantale will be acting as Global Product Manager for the Quats and Insulin Human AF products.

New branch office in Singapore

The grand opening of Novo Nordisk Pharmatech A/S new branch office in Singapore on October 15th 2019 was celebrated together with customers, employees and other stakeholders.