Still a clinical-stage company, Viking is studying promising candidates for both obesity and MASH in Phase II, but may need to prioritize one while partnering the other.

France has long been a European leader in rare diseases, from its scientific research and academic hospitals, through to patient advocacy and regulatory reforms that have encouraged R&D. Its biotech and pharmaceutical industries are now leading the way, discovering the next generation of therapies for patients that are often overlooked.

Sales of the Swiss firm’s Zevtera are set to rocket after the beta-lactam antibiotic got approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. Now Basilea needs to sign up a commercial partner.

Medicines are still typically prescribed based on average effects in a population and rarely dose-optimized for the individual, says Closed Loop Medicine. The company sees a new strategic partnership with Teva UK as another step in advancing personalized medicine.