Novozymes A/S is a global

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

company headquartered in Bagsværd outside of Copenhagen,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The company's focus is the research, development and production of industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and

biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

ingredients An ingredient is a substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Many commercial products contain secret ingredients that are purport ...

. The company has operations around the world, including in China, India, Brazil, Argentina, United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Class B shares of its stock are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic exchange.

History

In 1925 the brothers Harald and Thorvald Pedersen founded Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium and Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium with the aim to produce insulin. In 1941 the company's predecessor launched its first enzyme,

trypsin Trypsin is an enzyme in the first section of the small intestine that starts the digestion of protein molecules by cutting these long chains of amino acids into smaller pieces. It is a serine protease from the PA clan superfamily, found in the d ...

, extracted from the

pancreas The pancreas is an organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine gland, i.e. it has both an en ...

of animals and used to soften leather, and was the first to produce enzymes by fermentation using bacteria in the 1950s.Novozyme
Novozymes' history
Page accessed August 31, 2014 In the late 1980s Novozymes presented the world's first fat-splitting enzyme for detergents manufactured with genetically engineered microorganisms, called ''Lipolase''. The current Novozymes was founded in 2000 as a spinout from pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. In the 2000s Novozymes expanded through the acquisition of several companies focusing on business outside the core enzyme business. Amongst them were the Brazilian bio agricultural company Turfal and German pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company EMD/Merck Crop BioScience Inc. These acquisitions made Novozymes a leader in sustainable solutions for the agricultural biological industry. In January 2016 the company spun out its biopharmaceutical operations into Albumedix. In June 2020 the business announced it would acquire Ireland-based PrecisionBiotics for $90 million. In December of the same year Novozymes announced it would acquire Microbiome Labs in a $125 million deal.

Ownership

The Novozymes

class A share In finance, a class A share refers to a share classification of common or preferred stock that typically has enhanced benefits with respect to dividends, asset sales, or voting rights compared to Class B or Class C shares. There may be restri ...

capital is held by Novo Holdings A/S, a wholly owned subsidiary of the

Novo Nordisk Foundation The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an international enterprise foundation focusing on medical treatment and research. In 2021, the foundation had a net worth of $93.73 billion (697 billion DKK),Novo Nordisk Foundation - Annual report 2021: https: ...

. In addition, Novo A/S holds 5,826,280 B shares, which overall gives Novo A/S 25.5% of the total share capital and 70.1% of the votes.

References

External links

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Forbes Magazine: "100 Corporations That Will Survive 100 Years" (January 28, 2009)
{{Authority control Companies listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen Biotechnology companies of Denmark Life science companies based in Copenhagen Companies based in Gladsaxe Municipality Pharmaceutical companies established in 1925 Danish companies established in 2000 Danish brands Biotechnology companies established in 1925 Yeast banks