Apollo Endosurgery and Zillion Announce the Launch of ORBERA Coach

Apollo Endosurgery Inc. has launched the ORBERA Coach platform, an on-demand telehealth program that provides virtual aftercare support tailored to meet the needs of patients who undergo the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved ORBERA Gastric Balloon procedure. ORBERA is an incision-less, non-surgical weight loss procedure designed for adult patients suffering from obesity who are not appropriate for or considering invasive surgery but for whom diet, exercise and pharmaceutical interventions have not been effective.
 
ORBERA Coach is a telehealth aftercare program that allows patients to access exercise, nutrition, and other coaching resources via on demand interaction with registered dietitians trained on the ORBERA procedure during the 12 months following placement of the ORBERA gastric balloon. ORBERA Coach patients can interact anytime, anywhere via face-to-face live video conferencing, including one-to-one, group and webcast scheduled or on-demand. Zillion’s technology also facilitates group discussion sessions, weight loss tracking, a personal journal to monitor and reflect on progress, a collection of recipes and meal plans geared toward healthy eating and a health and wellness content library. ORBERA Coach provides significant data for the physician to assist in managing patients who have undergone an ORBERA procedure.
 
“Minnesota Gastroenterology has had a Weight Management and Nutrition Program for the past several years. What we are excited to see with ORBERA Coach is that it includes much of what our program offers but at a lower cost and with much greater flexibility in patient scheduling,” said David Feldshon, M.D., Minnesota Gastroenterology, P.A. “Educational modules are now immediately available to patients to review at their leisure and dietary recommendations are tailored specifically to the balloon procedure. With an electronic database that makes patient follow up much easier, ORBERA Coach should be a valuable tool to accompany placement of the gastric balloon for any practice.”
 
To date, more than 220,000 of the ORBERA balloons have been distributed in over 80 countries with approximately 230 published papers documenting its clinical results.
 
ORBERA is an incision-less, non-surgical weight loss solution designed for adult patients suffering from obesity, who are not appropriate for or considering invasive surgery, but for whom diet and exercise or pharmaceutical interventions have not worked.
 
In a non-surgical (endoscopic) procedure done under a mild sedative, the thin and deflated ORBERA balloon is placed into the stomach. It is then filled with saline until it’s about the size of a grapefruit. The procedure typically takes about 20 to 30 minutes and the patient can generally go home the same day. At six months, through another non-surgical procedure done under a mild sedative, the ORBERA balloon is deflated and then removed.
 
Once the balloon is in place, the patient receives an individually tailored support program through the ORBERA Managed Weight Loss System team of experts—which may include a dietician, psychologist and exercise physiologist—to help keep them motivated, coordinate their program and help them work through weight loss barriers to meet their long-term weight loss goals. Coaching takes place over 12 months, even though the balloon is removed after six months. The program is designed to help the patient develop sustainable, healthy habits that will help keep weight off over time.
 
Apollo Endosurgery Inc. develops less invasive solutions for the treatment of obesity and other gastrointestinal disorders. The company is based in Austin, Texas.