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Novo Nordisk’s story begins with a love story and a medical breakthrough. In 1922, Nobel laureate August Krogh and his wife Marie—who had type 2 diabetes—visited Canada, where insulin had just been discovered. Inspired, they brought the life-saving drug back to Denmark and co-founded Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium in 1923 to begin local production. Two years later, former employees Thorvald and Harald Pedersen left to start a rival firm, Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, setting off decades of fierce competition. Both companies advanced diabetes care independently for over 60 years. In 1989, they finally merged to form Novo Nordisk—a move that united Denmark’s greatest minds in insulin research and created the world’s leading diabetes company.
Novo Nordisk’s story begins with a love story and a medical breakthrough. In 1922, Nobel laureate August Krogh and his wife Marie—who had type 2 diabetes—visited Canada, where insulin had just been discovered. Inspired, they brought the life-saving drug back to Denmark and co-founded Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium in 1923 to begin local production. Two years later, former employees Thorvald and Harald Pedersen left to start a rival firm, Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium, setting off decades of fierce competition. Both companies advanced diabetes care independently for over 60 years. In 1989, they finally merged to form Novo Nordisk—a move that united Denmark’s greatest minds in insulin research and created the world’s leading diabetes company.