Elipse, Anti-Obesity Pill, Functions Like Gastric Bypass With No Surgery

Scientists have developed an alternative method to traditional gastric-bypass surgery which allows overweight patients to lose those excess pounds without having to go under the knife.

Elipse Anti-Obesity Pill That Functions Like Gastric Bypass

The Elipse device, The Los Angeles Times reports, is like a balloon that is swallowed in pill form while tethered to a catheter and then filled up to the size of a grapefruit with sterile fluid. The balloon sits in the stomach for four months, making the patient feel fuller than they actually are and eat less. Researchers have reported that patients lose more than a third of their excess weight over the four-month period.

The device is similar to the popular “Reshape Dual Balloon,” which was FDA approved back in July, but may prove more popular as, unlike the Reshape device, the Elipse does not require surgery.

As obesity continues to grow across the country, news of the device was welcomed by the medical community as a potentially major breakthrough in the fight against ever-expending waistlines. The side effects of gastric bypass — its invasiveness and irreversibility — frequently deter patients who struggle with losing weight through more traditional means. The pill is also being touted as a potential preventative tool for overweight people on the cusp of clinical obesity.

The Elipse is currently awaiting FDA approval.