Allurion Program is the latest innovation in
the NHS’s war against obesity
Allurion Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ALUR), a company dedicated to
ending obesity, today announced that the Somerset NHS Foundation
Trust (FT) is the first NHS trust in the United Kingdom, and the
first non-private sector organisation in the world, to introduce
the Allurion Gastric Balloon - the world's only swallowable gastric
balloon that requires no surgery, no endoscopy and no anaesthesia1.
Once swallowed, the balloon is filled and remains in the stomach
for approximately 4 months, after which it self-empties and passes
out naturally. It is proven to help patients lose an average of
10-15% of their body weight after approximately four months2.
Studies show that on average, 96% of weight loss can be sustained 1
year after the balloon passes3.
To date, there have been more than 30 peer-reviewed studies
conducted worldwide, demonstrating that the Allurion Balloon is a
safe and effective way to lose weight4.
The first two patients to receive the treatment were treated at
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s (FT) Musgrove Park Hospital in
November, under the care of Professor Richard Welbourn, consultant
bariatric surgeon at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. A further three
NHS placements are due to take place in early February, with up to
a dozen others also scheduled to have this potentially life
changing procedure.
Somerset FT has provided the Allurion Program to two patients.
It is suitable for patients who are most in need, especially those
seeking rapid, safe and effective weight loss, enabling them to
reach a safe and suitable weight to undergo lifesaving surgery.
The Allurion Program has been shown to be particularly effective
in patients with a higher body mass index (BMI). Patients with a
starting BMI of 35-40 lose on average 15% of their body weight at 4
months5 while those with a starting BMI of over 40 can lose on
average up to 20% of their body weight at 6 months6.
The first ever NHS placement of the Allurion Balloon follows
recent reports that obesity currently costs the NHS £100 billion a
year, with this figure expected to grow by another £10 billion over
the next 15 years7. The Allurion Balloon - which can be placed in a
15-minute doctor’s visit - is expected to save the NHS significant
time and money as the treatment is substantially less expensive
than bariatric surgery. It is expected that the Allurion Balloon’s
non-invasive approach also means patients can be in and out of
hospital within the hour, freeing up much needed operation rooms,
surgical teams, and patient beds.
The swallowable balloon is just part of the Allurion Program
experience. During the time the balloon is in the stomach, it
provides a sense of fullness and satiety whilst the patient
undertakes a wellness journey using Allurion’s proprietary
behaviour change program that helps ensure the weight stays off,
even when the balloon has gone. This wellness journey includes the
use of an innovative suite of AI-powered software - so that
progress is monitored and interventions are made as necessary to
ensure optimum results - as well as 1-1 support from doctors and
nutritionists to help patients modify their lifestyle and change
their behaviour.
Dr. Shantanu Gaur, founder and CEO of Allurion says, "We are
thrilled to be partnering with the NHS for the first time to
deliver the Allurion Program. According to the NHS, it is estimated
that around one in four (25%) of adults in the UK have obesity8,
and without scalable, evidence-based weight solutions, I believe
the obesity epidemic will continue to worsen. Leveraging the
Allurion Balloon—which can be swallowed in a simple outpatient
visit and typically does not require any procedures for removal—the
NHS now has a weight loss solution that does not tap into surgical
or endoscopic resources that are already overbooked and
constrained. We are looking forward to expanding this partnership
and benefiting many more NHS patients in the months and years to
come."
This exciting new partnership between Allurion and the NHS
provides great hope for thousands of Brits who struggle to lose
weight alone but do not like the idea of taking drugs or
experiencing the unpleasant side effects and weekly injections. In
fact, one recent study showed that 68% of people who start GLP-1
anti-obesity medications are likely to stop after only one year9.
Unlike these approaches, the Allurion Balloon is designed to be
truly non-invasive and is delivered as part of a program that
focuses on changing behaviour and lifestyle, to drive long-lasting
results.
This new partnership between Allurion and the NHS addresses
comments made by Henry Dimbleby, the government's former food
advisor, on the December 2023 reports on the impact of obesity in
the UK7. He believes the country needs strategies other than
medication to tackle obesity. He claims that excess weight in the
UK is set to leave Britain “a sick and impoverished nation”.
Professor Richard Welbourn said: “We are very pleased to be able
to offer this new treatment, a first for the NHS, that offers
clinically meaningful weight loss as part of a holistic programme
involving dietary support and care.
“People with severe obesity are prone to diseases, such as type
2 diabetes, which can be reversed with weight loss.
“The Allurion balloon is a 15-minute outpatient procedure, and
is swallowed, so there’s no need for an endoscopy, hospital bed,
theatre time or anaesthetic, which is better for the NHS and a
much-improved experience for our patients.
“We expect that patients using the Program will lose 10-15% of
their weight in four months, which improves quality of life and
makes patients healthier.”
1 In rare cases, the Allurion Balloon may require endoscopic or
surgical intervention for removal. 2 Ienca, R et al. Obesity
surgery vol. 30,9 (2020): 3354-3362 3 Ienca R. et al. Presented at
the EASO Congress, 2022 4 Please find all our clinical data in the
Allurion Literature PowerPoint Presentation 5 Ienca et al.
presented at TOS Obesity Week, 2020 6 Raftopoulos Y and Rajkumar S.
Presented at ASMBS, 2023. 7 December 2023 analysis Commissioned by
the Tony Blair Institute and published in The Times 8
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/ 9
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/most-patients-using-weight-loss-drugs-like-wegovy-stop-within-year-data-show-2023-07-11/
About Allurion
Allurion is dedicated to ending obesity. The Allurion Program is
a weight loss platform that features the Allurion Gastric Balloon,
the world’s first and only swallowable, procedure-less intragastric
balloon for weight loss, and offers access to the Allurion Virtual
Care Suite including the Allurion Mobile App for consumers,
Allurion Insights for health care providers featuring the Iris AI
Platform, and the Allurion Connected Scale. The Allurion Virtual
Care Suite is also 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. The Allurion Gastric
Balloon is an investigational device in the United States.
For more information about Allurion and the Allurion Virtual
Care Suite, please visit www.allurion.com.
Allurion is a trademark of Allurion Technologies, Inc. in the
United States and countries around the world.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain certain forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal and state
securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally are
identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,”
“anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,”
“opportunity,” “plan,” “target,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,”
“will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar
expressions and include statements regarding time and costs savings
resulting from use of the Allurion Program; and future funding of
balloon placements by, and expansion of the partnership with, NHS.
Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other
statements about future events that reflect the current beliefs and
assumptions of Allurion’s management based on information currently
available to them and, as a result, are subject to risks and
uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future results or
developments to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements in this press release, including but not limited to (i)
the ability of Allurion to obtain regulatory approval for and
successfully commercialize the Allurion Program, (ii) the timing of
and results from its clinical studies and trials, (iii) the
evolution of the markets in which Allurion competes and the rise of
GLP-1 drugs, (iv) the ability of Allurion to defend its
intellectual property and satisfy regulatory requirements, (v) the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war and
Israel-Hamas war on Allurion’s business, (vi) Allurion’s
expectations regarding its market opportunities and (vii) the risk
of economic downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the
highly competitive industry in which Allurion operates. The
foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully
consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and
uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the
Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on November 14, 2023, and
other documents filed by Allurion from time to time with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings identify and
address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual events and results to differ materially from those contained
in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put
undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Allurion assumes
no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise. Allurion does not give any assurance
that it will achieve its expectations.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240123925954/en/
US Media Brian Ruby ICR (203) 682-8268 brian.ruby@icrinc.com
Global Media Cedric Damour PR Manager +33 7 84 21 02 20
cdamour@allurion.com Investor Contact Mike Cavanaugh, Investor
Relations ICR Westwicke (617) 877-9641
mike.cavanaugh@westwicke.com
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