Gastric Bypass Taking Pill Form?

Most gastric bypass weight loss plans require some type of surgery to implant it, whether that is a device or by closing a portion of the stomach. However, there is a new possibility of gastric bypass surgery Houston in TXthat could be coming to us soon, without the need for surgery. While it is still pending FDA approval, a bariatric weight loss solution is being developed that will enable the patient to take it in a pill.

This new concept was developed by Allurion, who is a new startup company and has been recently funded $27 million by investors. They are calling it the Elipse Balloon. Basically, the patient will ingest the pill and a balloon will expand inside their belly within 15 minutes of swallowing. It is designed to stay in the body for only four months and will, essentially, pop and remove itself from the body through natural excretions.

Europe and Middle Eastern countries have given the go-ahead for the pill. They are seeing good reactions within their patients and are hoping for even more successful patients in the United States. China is interested in using this pill for moderately overweight patients or for patients who are trying to stay healthy. In the U.S.. the Food and Drug Administration is still on the fence regarding what the pill would be used for and if it is a safe alternative for patients. They are considering whether it will be solely for patients who suffer from obesity or classified as a weight loss solution for everyone to use.

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There is also an argument of this pill is the similarity it has for another pill form for weight loss. Allurion’s competing company Obalon has a pill that patients ingest and also balloons inside of you. However, the way that Obalon’s pill differs from that of Allurion is how the pill is ingested. While Allurion is offering the option of the patient swallowing the pill, Obalon has to have their pill placed by a doctor. It typically is implanted through an endoscopy surgical procedure. Also, Obalon’s pill must be taken out by a doctor, instead of being dispelled from the body like Allurion’s pill.

The Obalon pill already is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is considered a treatment option for the morbidly obese patients. The struggle for Allurion to compete with this is going to be a great one, but they might be able to market it as an option for anyone desiring to lose weight, instead of just an option for very heavy individuals. Their millions of dollars in funding will aid in starting trials to try to prove their pill is worth the FDA approval. With their prior $10 million of funding, Allurion is well over $37 million in supporting funds.