Health experts have recently found an obesity solution. It is an inflatable medical balloon known as the Orbera Intragastric Balloon, which helps patients lose weight by filling up the space in the stomach. it is created by Apollo Endosurgery Inc. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has approved the new weight loss balloon.

Obesity has been considered as one of the problems our society is facing today. Defined as an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health, it can lead to major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. According to the World Health Organization, obesity is linked to more deaths globally compared to underweight.

Now, the U.S. FDA has finally approved a new weight loss method that seems to yield promising results. The Apollo Endosurgery Inc.'s Orbera Intragastric Balloon is a non-surgical procedure that takes less than 30 minutes to complete and is ideal for those who are 20 to 50 pounds overweight, THV11 has learned. The balloon is then taken out after six months.

"We use a flexible endoscope to put the balloon down in the stomach," Dr. Rex Luttrell of Saline Memorial Hospital said. "It takes about 15 minutes to do, and there would typically be an hour recovery. Then, you would be discharged home."

The Orbera Intragastric Balloon is intended for adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 40 and who have been unsuccessful with diet and exercise or pharmaceutical interventions. As per Clinical Advisor, the deflated Orbera balloon is placed in the stomach and filled with saline until it is approximately the size of a grapefruit.

Meanwhile, Apollo Endosurgery Inc. is a company on the lead of advancing and providing minimally invasive endoscopic surgical products for bariatric and gastrointestinal procedures. The approval of Orbera Intragastric Balloon will be helpful to adult obese patients lose weight as it is designed to occupy the space in the patient's stomach to simulate fullness and prevent excessive food intake, BioNews Texas noted.

"For many, the weight loss journey leaves patients with little support or options other than diet and exercise and traditional surgery," New York-based bariatric surgeon Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding stated. "The approval of Orbera fills this gap in available treatments and is an exciting development for healthcare professionals who are committed to providing patients with less invasive options that can assist them in reaching their long-term weight loss goals. Orbera gives us a new weight loss option to help address what has become a critical health issue in the United States."