The combined therapy of a swallowable weight-loss balloon and semaglutide oral formulation showed significant reductions in obesity-related comorbidities such as obstructive sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension in four months, according to a randomized, double-blind study in Obesity Surgery.
In the study, 115 patients were randomized to either the Allurion Program—a weight-loss platform that combines the Allurion procedure-less gastric balloon for weight loss, the Allurion Virtual Care Suite, and the Allurion Connected Scale—with or without oral GLP-1 agonist semaglutide and followed for four months.
In patients randomized to the Allurion Program alone, weight loss was 13.7% at four months and resolution of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea was observed in 55.5%, 58.8%, and 57.8%, respectively. Weight loss improved to 17.6% in the group treated with the Allurion Program and oral semaglutide and co-morbidity resolution improved to 64.7%, 64.3%, and 72%, respectively.
“We have been extremely pleased with the results we are seeing in medically complex patients with the Allurion Program, especially the speed with which co-morbidities resolve,” says Mohit Bhandari, MD, president of IRCAD India and senior author on the study, in a release. “We have seen that oral GLP-1 agonists alone are often insufficient to generate such significant results but using them as a tool to augment the results of the Allurion Program could be a promising treatment approach in the future.”
Allurion recently published findings indicating that providers are interested in combining the Allurion Program with anti-obesity medications and that the rise of GLP-1 agonists has increased patient inquiries and boosted awareness of weight loss treatments like the Allurion Program.
“We believe the results of this study provide further validation of the rapid impact the Allurion Program can have in patients with obesity and other co-morbidities,” says Shantanu Gaur, MD, founder and CEO of Allurion, in a release. “By combining the Allurion Program with anti-obesity medications, we may be able to improve outcomes even further and reach an even broader segment of the population.”
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