Kenyans can now lose weight faster and easier by swallowing a balloon pill. The Allurion gastric balloon, labeled the Allurion Balloon, is made of a soft biodegradable material packaged into a swallowable capsule and connected to a thin tube.
Dr. Pranav Pancholi, a cosmetic dermatologist, and CEO of Avane Cosmetic Clinics that is pioneering the pill said its introduction is a gamechanger in the cosmetic industry.
“The procedure requires no surgery, no endoscopy, and no anesthesia. It is simple and painless,” he said.
So far, eight people in Kenya have swallowed the weight loss pill in the last six months. It costs Sh450,000.
The package includes the cost for the skin tightening procedure, if necessary, a smartwatch, digital scale, and nutritional and psychological counseling for six months.
“A smartwatch and the weighing scale enable me to monitor your parameters on my computer in real-time,” he explained.
On paper, losing weight appears simple because it is about burning more calories than you eat each day. But in practice, it is anything but easy for most people struggling to lose excess weight which could be dangerous to their health.
About Allurion
Allurion Technologies is dedicated to ending obesity by creating the world’s first full-stack weight-loss platform. At the core of this platform is The Allurion Program, a 360-degree weight loss experience featuring the Allurion Gastric Balloon — the world’s first and only swallowable, procedure-less gastric balloon for weight loss — and the Allurion Virtual Care Suite including the Allurion Mobile App for consumers, Allurion Insights for clinicians featuring the Iris AI Platform, and the Allurion Connected Scale and Health Tracker devices. The Allurion VCS is now available to providers separately from the Allurion Program to help customize, monitor, and manage weight loss therapy for patients regardless of their treatment plan: gastric balloon, surgical, medical or nutritional.
How it works
The Allurion balloon reduces food intake by taking up space in the stomach. The balloon works by inducing early satiety (the feeling of fullness) by delaying gastric emptying and reducing stomach capacity.
“For medical and other personal reasons, some people cannot undergo cosmetic surgery, and clients need a recovery period which is not needed with Allurion balloon,” said Dr. Pancholi.
He explained that after the pill has been swallowed, they use an x-ray to confirm that it is in the correct place.
“The balloon is then inflated with about half a liter of water. We then take another x-ray to make sure the balloon is fully inflated and resting in the correct position in the stomach,” he said.
He said the procedure takes 20 minutes then a doctor will monitor the patient for one hour before allowing them to return home.
