COPENHAGEN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk on Tuesday announced its plan to cut some 400 jobs in Denmark and China in a bid to restructure its Research and Development organization to accelerate the expansion and diversification of its pipeline across serious chronic diseases.

According to the company, 370 of the laid-off employees are from Denmark, while 30 are from its facilities in China.

"Delivering on our ambition of achieving even higher levels of innovation across a broader and more diverse range of chronic diseases requires that we have the optimal future skill base and allocate resources to our priority areas," said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, chief science officer of Novo Nordisk, in a statement.

To support its strategic ambitions, Novo Nordisk said it would establish four Transformational Research Units in 2018 to pursue novel treatment modalities and platform technologies.

The biotech-like units based in Denmark, the United States and Britain will operate as satellites of Novo Nordisk's central R&D function and will drive innovation in priority fields such as translational cardio-metabolic research and stem cell research, it added.

Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk will significantly increase its investment in automation and digital capabilities to drive a faster and more efficient path towards lead molecule selection and development.

It will also prioritize the integration of laboratory infrastructure and IT systems to increase the efficiency of the R&D organization.

Furthermore, Novo Nordisk will explore new therapeutic areas by establishing a new Business Development unit in Cambridge of Massachusetts, USA.

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 43,100 people globally and markets its products in more than 170 countries and regions.