Swallowing a pill to lose weight usually means ingesting chemicals that suppress your appetite, but a new weight-loss pill in the UK contains nothing but a balloon.
Obalon is a new gastric balloon treatment that comes in the form of a pill. It does not require any invasive surgery.
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Patients swallow the pill, which is attached to a micro-catheter. Once it arrives in the stomach, the micro-catheter inflates the balloon to the size of an apple. The micro-catheter is then removed. The idea behind the procedure, which takes roughly 10 minutes, is that the balloon gives patients the sensation of fullness; this means they eat less and subsequently lose weight.
After the first balloon is in place, patients can choose to add a second balloon 30 days after the first one is inflated. Depending on feelings of fullness and the amount of weight lost with two balloons, patients can choose to have a third and final balloon placed in their stomach, but only after 60 days.
An Obalon balloon can stay in the stomach for 12 weeks before it is removed, so an entire treatment can last up to 36 weeks. To remove the balloon, doctors deflate and remove it during an outpatient endoscopy, where a thin, long tube is inserted into the patient’s mouth without the use of general anesthetic.
The Obalon procedure is recommended for people whose body mass index is 27 or greater, or those classified as obese, according to its website. Clinical trials in the UK and the U.S. have shown an average weight loss of 17 pounds (7.7 kgs) in 12 weeks.
The pill has received mixed reviews from doctors and medical professionals in the UK. Tam Fry, a chairman at the Child Growth Foundation and spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum, told Sky News that prevention — not remediation — is key: "What you really have to do is to do everything you can to maintain a proper weight, healthy living, healthy lifestyle so you never get up to a BMI of 27."
But Sally Norton, a consultant surgeon at Spire Hospital in Bristol, UK, told The Independent that Obalon could help people transition into a place where they can better manage and maintain their weight.
“I've been monitoring Obalon's progress over the last few years, as I was very excited about the potential it could offer those patients who do not qualify for weight-loss surgery, but are struggling to lose weight and improve their health on their own,” Norton said. “It gives patients an initial weight-loss boost, but also helps to change their eating behaviour — which is needed for longterm weight loss.”
Currently, the procedure is only available at certain private clinics in the UK. It starts at £2,995 ($4,932) for a two-balloon treatment. Obalon hasn’t yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to its website.
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