To combat the obesity epidemic in India , Gurugram-based startup Pristyn Care has entered into a strategic partnership with US-based Allurion Technologies, in order to offer  a holistic weight-loss and obesity care platform. Allurion has developed the world’s first and only procedureless swallowable gastric balloon.

In a 15-minute OPD visit, the patient swallows a  vegan capsule that contains the  gastric balloon. Once in the stomach, a catheter is used to inflate the balloon with 550 ml of liquid – no surgery, endoscopy or anaesthesia is required. A simple X-ray is used to ensure the balloon is in the right position.

After placement, the balloon – roughly the size of a grapefruit – takes up space in the patient's stomach, creating a feeling of fullness and reducing food intake. The balloon reduces feelings of hunger, and in approximately 16 weeks, it automatically deflates and passes out of the body naturally. 

With this partnership, Pristyn Care will go live with this treatment in 6 metro cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, which have close to 100 clinics and over 400 hospital tie-ups.

Currently, at least 20 doctors in these 6 cities have been trained and certified by Allurion . By year-end, Pristyn Care plans to treat 1000+ patients for this weight-loss procedure.

Speaking about the tie-up, Dr Vaibhav Kapoor, Co-founder, Pristyn Care said, “It’s one of the safest ways to lose weight and is CE approved and also by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. We have also onboarded dieticians, nutritionists and fitness experts who will be working with the patients to help them train their body towards a better lifestyle and a healthier weight."

The Pristyn - Allurion Programme comes with the Virtual Care Suite, which integrates the Allurion Mobile App, Connected Scale, and Health Tracker into a single “digital umbrella” to provide remote patient monitoring, telehealth and secure messaging with the care team. The software platform is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning to allow care teams to interact with their patients – and their data.