Balloon you can swallow is new weight loss device

LOS ANGELES, California (WPVI) -- There's a lot of buzz about a novel new weight loss device in the pipeline.

It works with a balloon.

The Elipse balloon has not been approved by the FDA yet, but it will go before the agency soon.

It is a device which is swallowed like a pill, but becomes a balloon in the stomach.

A study presented at the Obesity Week meeting in Los Angeles shows it has promise.

Here's how it works:

The capsule, attached to a tiny tether, goes down into the stomach.

There, the capsule dissolves, and the balloon is inflated with sterile water injected through the catheter.

It makes a person feel full, so they eat less.

After 4 months, the balloon empties itself, and passes out of the body.

In tests with 34 people, those with the Elipse balloon lost more than a third of their excess weight, and saw improvements in their blood fats and blood sugar level.

In late July, the FDA approved ReShape Medical's balloon, which is implanted through an endoscope.

It is also filled with saline.

At least one other balloon is expected to come before the FDA.

Doctors say they could be good alternatives for patients who can't undergo bariatric surgery, or who need to lose weight to qualify for the weight loss surgery.