Scientists develop swallowable self-inflating capsule called the EndoPil, the prototype capsule contains a balloon that can be self-inflated with a handheld magnet once it is in the stomach, thus inducing a sense of fullness to control obesity. A team from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the National University Health System (NUHS) has developed a self-inflating weight management capsule that could be used to treat obese patients. Its magnetically-activated inflation mechanism causes a reaction between a harmless acid and a salt stored in the capsule, which produces carbon dioxide to fill up the balloon.
The concept behind the capsule is for it to be ingested orally, though trials using this route for administration have not yet begun. Today, moderately obese patients and those who are too ill to undergo surgery can opt for the intragastric balloon, an…
