A new weight loss system using a gastric balloon contained within a pill is now being administered by the NHS.
The treatment is an out-patient procedure that can be carried out in 15 minutes. Patients swallow a capsule containing the gastric balloon, with an X-ray confirming correct positioning. The balloon is then filled with water via a thin tube.
This manages obesity by making patients feel more full so they can eat less. Users of the balloon are expected to lose around 10 to 15% of their weight in four months. After this period, a time-activated release valve opens and both the balloon and its contents pass through the body naturally.
Data has shown that patients treated this way kept 95% of the weight off after a year.
The treatment was created by medical technology firm Allurion. It was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2020.
The first two NHS patients have now had the balloon administered at Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset.
‘A much-improved experience’
Professor Richard Welbourn is a consultant bariatric surgeon at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. He said: ‘People with severe obesity are prone to diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, which can be reversed with weight loss.
‘The Allurion balloon is a 15-minute outpatient procedure, and is swallowed, so there’s no need for an endoscopy, hospital bed, theatre time or anaesthetic, which is better for the NHS and a much-improved experience for our patients.
‘We expect that patients using the programme will lose 10% to 15% of their weight in four months, which improves quality of life and makes patients healthier.’
Allurion also commented on the use of its system in NHS treatment. Dr Shantanu Gaur, founder and chief executive, said: ‘We are looking forward to expanding this partnership and benefiting many more NHS patients in the months and years to come.’
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