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Weight-Loss Balloon Aims To Help Curb Global Obesity Problem

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Obesity has grown to epidemic proportions not just in this country, but around the world.

Now, an Allegheny County native has invented something he hopes will help tip the scales in the other direction.

Medical inventor and entrepreneur Dr. Shantanu Gaur may have founded an international company, but his roots are in Pittsburgh.

"It was a wonderful place to grow up because it taught me my values: hard work, discipline, be gritty. But, it also gave me a fantastic education, a fantastic springboard for the rest of my career," Dr. Gaur said.

He is originally from Bethel Park and competed on Hometown High-Q on KDKA-TV.

"Standing in the middle on that podium with the finger on your buzzer, it's an intense experience for a senior in high school," he said.

Now, he has a product that could be an answer to a question that troubled him through medical school: How to curb the global obesity epidemic?

"Millions of people try dieting and exercise every day. And they fail to get the weight loss they desire," he said.

His solution is a device called Elipse. It is a balloon within a capsule you swallow. The capsule is attached to a tube with an end that stays outside. Once the device is in the stomach, a bag is hooked up to the tube and squeezed to fill the balloon with 2 ½ cups of water -- about a pound.

elipse-obesity-weight-loss-device
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

With a tug, the tube comes off and out. The balloon self-seals and stays in the stomach for four months. During that time, you would be enrolled in a program to learn healthy eating, and you'll have a Bluetooth enabled scale that syncs with an app, so you can share your progress with a care team.

"If you normally eat three slices of pizza for dinner, you may stop at half a slice or a slice," he said.

On average people lose 25 to 35 pounds.

"After about four months, the efficacy starts to wane, and the weight loss starts to plateau," Dr. Gaur said. "There's a patented material on the inside of the balloon that pops open, there's a hole that opens in the balloon, it empties out, and it gets excreted naturally."

It's for people with a body mass index of 27 or higher. This gives people an option if they don't qualify for weight loss surgery at a BMI of 35. You can come back for another balloon if you need more weight loss.

The device is approved in Europe, where it runs about $3,000-$4,000. Similar devices currently available in the United States that involve procedures and anesthesia cost twice that much and there have been a dozen deaths with similar existing products.

A trial sponsored by Dr. Gaur's company is underway at UPMC. The study coordinator told our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette it is one of 11 testing sites, where 400 participants will be enrolled with BMIs of 30 to 40.

The study is to show that the device is safe and works -- the first step toward FDA approval.

Dr. Gaur is hoping his device leads to a weight loss victory as well.

For more information on the weight loss balloon device, visit: http://balloontrial.com/

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