LAST UPDATE | 30 Sep 2025

NOVO NORDISK IS to make redundancies at its facility in Monksland, Athlone. 

A spokesperson from the Department of Enterprise confirmed it was notified by the company on 10 September of proposed collective redundancies.

Under Irish law, a company must notify the department of proposed redundancies if it intends on laying off more than 30 members of staff if it is employing more than 300 people in an establishment. 

Novo Nordisk has around 400 staff members employed at its Athlone facility.

The department must be notified at least 30 days before the redundancies take effect.

Yesterday, The Westmeath Independent reported that workers were informed that 75 people would be made redundant in addition to 40 voluntary redundancies that were announced in recent weeks.

The Danish pharmaceutical company produces weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. In April, it had around 72,000 employees in 80 countries. Earlier this month, it announced plans to layoff some 9,000 employees globally.

In May 2024, the previous owner of the Monksland facility, Alkermes, sold the site to Novo Nordisk for approximately $91m (€77m).

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said in a statement: “We have announced that the total number of intended workforce reductions globally is approximately 9,000.

“Out of respect for the employees involved, we will not share additional details about individual sites or areas. This process takes time, and our highest priority is to support our employees.

“We are announcing a company-wide transformation to simplify our organisation, improve decision-making speed, and reallocate resources towards the company’s growth opportunities in diabetes and obesity. As part of this change, we are assessing all business areas and regions to simplify structures, reduce duplication, and sharpen focus.

“These organisational changes will allow Novo Nordisk’s teams to work more efficiently and focus on what matters most: driving innovation and reaching many more patients.”