The first patient has been treated with an implantable bioelectronic device developed by Galvani Therapeutics, set up by GlaxoSmithKline and Alphabet's Verily Life Sciences in 2016.
Merck KGaA has forged a second partnership in the bioelectronics category in two weeks, teaming up with Innervia to develop neurostimulator devices for treating chronic diseases.
Astellas Pharma is to buy bioelectronic medical devices firm iota Biosciences in a deal worth up to $429m, building on a previous research partnership.
It has been five years since Lexicon Pharma's type 1 diabetes therapy, Zynquista, was rejected by the FDA, and it may struggle to have a better outcome at its second attempt.