The Irish Times Business Person of the Month: Dilek Dogan Gurluk, country head, Novo Nordisk

Dilek Dogan Gurluk, country head of Novo Nordisk, has been chosen as The Irish Times Business Person of the Month for March, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland.

Novo Nordisk, the weight-loss drug pioneer, says it will invest €432 million in upgrading its Athlone plant to produce the tablet form of its Wegovy therapy.

The tablet form of the weight-loss drug is now seen as key to meeting the growing international market for GLP-1 inhibitors, which encourage weight loss.

Athlone site

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Gurluk will be ultimately responsible for the Athlone site, which the Danish drugmaker acquired in 2024 in an €85 million deal.

Novo Nordisk said its investment was “a big strategic milestone for the company” and “further reinforces Novo Nordisk’s long-term commitment to Ireland and global healthcare innovation”.

The Athlone investment will see the company manufacture Wegovy pills here for markets outside the United States. Novo makes the obesity pill for the American market in the US.

Novo Nordisk said construction work on the upgrade had already begun at the 18-hectare site, with completion expected in 2028.