Swallowable capsule for weight-loss launched in India: All you need to know

American medical technology manufacturer, Allurion Technologies has launched its swallowable gastric balloon capsule for weight loss in India. The company, at the launch event, informed that it is the only medical weight-loss device fully approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India’s apex regulatory body for medical devices. The device has been launched in over 55 countries now, and it claims to be the world’s first and only swallowable gastric balloon for weight loss.

The device is administered in just a 15-minute visit to the Allurion clinic. The patient has to swallow the Allurion Swallowable Capsule which is a safe and temporary vegan capsule that contains a deflated gastric balloon.

Once in the stomach, a healthcare professional uses a catheter to inflate the balloon with 550ml of liquid and the procedure is followed up with a simple X-ray to ensure the balloon is in the right position. No surgery, endoscopy or anaesthesia is required for this procedure.

 

The balloon is roughly the size of a grapefruit and has a polyurethane membrane that expands. When it reaches full capacity, it slowly degrades itself over the course of time and is ultimately excreted at the end of four months (16 weeks).

The inflated balloon is aimed to create a feeling of fullness to help with controlling feelings of hunger, ultimately training the individual in diet control.

The device is accompanied by a weighing scale and a smartphone application that allows tracking of weight loss and communication between the patient and their care team. The care team may include nutritionists, physicians and psychologists.

The company claims the device can help patients lose up to 10-15 percent of their body weight in 16 weeks and the results can last a lifetime.

By the time the balloon passes, the patient develops new food preferences and adjusted to smaller portion sizes, which leads to sustained results.

A key study on the safety and efficacy of the device was evaluated in a multi-centre (19 centres, located in Europe and West Asia), prospective, non-randomised, open-label study. The results were published in August 2020. The study observed 1,770 patients and found that they lost 14.2 percent of total body weight during the programme.

During the press conference, Dr Shantanu Gaur, Founder, and CEO of Allurion said that the Allurion Program has treated more than 1,00,000 patients safely in partnership with 600 clinics worldwide.

The Allurion Weight Loss Capsule programme will cost Rs 3 Lakh which includes the cost of the complete cycle, the devices, the scale, the watch and the digital app.