Novo Nordisk has mitigation plans to minimize disruption from port strikes

(Reuters) -Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday it has mitigation plans in place to minimize or prevent any disruption to its production due to sea port strikes in the United States.

The maker of popular drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic, plans to ship its products to and from the U.S. via air freight, a company spokesperson said.

The company imports some of its active pharmaceutical ingredient, or semaglutide, into the U.S. for its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy, according to CNBC, which first reported on the mitigation plans.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said earlier on Tuesday its preliminary analysis showed a strike by U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers should have limited impact on the availability of essential goods such as medicines and medical devices.

The dockworkers began their first large-scale stoppage in nearly 50 years, halting about half the country's ocean shipping after negotiations for a new labor contract broke down over wages.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Shailesh Kuber)