Title: Gastric Balloon Cost: Which Quotes Include Taking It Out? Author: Arthur Harmash Published: 2026-10-03 Source: https://lymyvoyage.com/articles/gastric-balloon-cost-which-quotes-include-taking-it-out Citations: - https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1964979/000119312526062599/alur-ex99_1.htm - https://www.patientcareonline.com/view/fda-approves-first-smart-capsule-obesity - https://www.healio.com/news/gastroenterology/20150806/fda-approves-orbera-intragastric-balloon-for-weight-loss-in-obese-adults - https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf19/P190012D.pdf - https://www.raps.org/resource/fda-alerts-health-providers-on-deaths-from-liquid.html - https://www.placidway.com/article/5867/Gastric-Balloon-in-Turkey-vs-UK-Cost-Safety-Clinics-Reviews - https://us-uk.bookimed.com/clinics/procedure=gastric-balloon/ - https://www.boltpharmacy.co.uk/guide/intragastric-balloon-treatment-for-obesity - https://www.thepricer.org/how-much-does-an-allurion-balloon-cost/ - https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/first-nhs-patients-receive-gastric-balloon-weight-loss-treatment-5571953 - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12354925/ --- A gastric balloon is a soft balloon placed in the stomach to make it feel full, so the patient eats less. It is temporary. Most types have to come out again, which means a second procedure, and that is where price comparisons quietly break down. Clinics abroad advertise packages from about $1,800 in Turkey.[^7] US programmes run $8,000 to $10,000.[^9] But a quote only compares with another if both say which balloon is used and who takes it out. A balloon fitted in Istanbul and due out six months later may need a second trip. This article compares three balloons approved in the US, how each comes out, and what that does to the price. A gastric balloon in Turkey is advertised from about $1,800. In the US, programmes run $8,000 to $10,000. But who takes it out, and when? The price looks like the whole treatment. But most balloons need a second procedure to remove them, and that may mean a second trip. Orbera is removed by endoscopy after six months. Spatz3 can stay up to eight months and also comes out by endoscopy. Allurion, approved in the US in February 2026, is swallowed and passes on its own after about four months. So the same headline price can mean one trip or two, depending on the balloon. A quote that does not name the balloon cannot be compared. The counterargument: balloons do work for a while. A 2025 review of 27 studies found average weight loss of about 15 kg at removal, with about 8 kg still off months to years later. What the prices cannot show: safety. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about deaths, pancreatitis and overinflation with liquid-filled balloons, and complications abroad are handled far from home. Ask which balloon, how long it stays, and where and by whom it is removed. Get that in the quote before you book. Save this before you compare prices. ## Three balloons, three ways out | Balloon | US approval | Time in stomach | How it comes out | |---|---|---|---| | Orbera | 2015[^3] | 6 months[^3] | Endoscopy, under sedation[^3] | | Spatz3 (adjustable) | 2021[^4] | Up to 8 months[^4] | Endoscopy; volume changes also need endoscopy[^4] | | Allurion (swallowed) | February 2026[^1] | About 4 months[^1] | Empties and passes naturally[^1] | ## How each balloon is removed Orbera was approved by the FDA in 2015 for adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 40.[^3] It is placed during a 20- to 30-minute endoscopy under mild sedation. It "is deflated and removed at 6 months through a similar procedure".[^3] Spatz3 stays longer and can be adjusted. Its FDA-approved instructions say the "maximum placement period" is eight months, and "it must be removed at that time or earlier".[^4] Changing its volume, up to boost weight loss or down to ease side effects, "require[s] another endoscopy procedure with sedation".[^4] Allurion removes the second procedure altogether. The FDA approved it on 23 February 2026.[^1] It is swallowed "in a 15-minute office visit without the need for surgery, endoscopy, or anesthesia".[^1] After about four months a valve opens, and the balloon "empties and passes out of the body naturally".[^1] In its main US trial of 550 people, the serious adverse event rate was 3.1%.[^2] ## What the quotes say, and leave out Prices abroad are lower. A medical-travel booking site lists gastric balloons in Turkey from $1,800, Poland from $2,100 and Mexico from $2,500.[^7] It describes the Turkish offer as a six-month balloon with a year of nutrition support.[^7] Another medical-travel site puts Turkish packages at $2,500 to $4,500, against £4,000 to £8,000 in the UK.[^6] It does not say whether either range includes removal. It tells patients to confirm whether "placement and removal are both included".[^6] In the US, one price guide puts the Allurion programme at $8,000 to $10,000, including placement, removal and supervision.[^9] Gastric balloon procedures in general run $5,000 to $15,000, it says.[^9] The removal question is where the comparison turns. A six-month endoscopic balloon placed abroad must come out after six months.[^3] If the clinic that fitted it does the removal, that is a second return trip. If it does not, someone at home has to do it, and that is not in the package price. ## The NHS position In England, balloons are not routine NHS treatment. A UK pharmacy guide summarising the position says NICE guidance allows them with special arrangements for governance and audit, and that they are "not routinely commissioned by the NHS".[^8] Some NHS services have started using them. In January 2024, Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset gave the first NHS patients the swallowed Allurion balloon.[^10] Patients lose an average of 10% to 15% of body weight in four months, according to the report of the launch.[^10] ## What the evidence says about results Balloons produce weight loss, and some of it lasts. A review in Cureus, published in July 2025, pooled 27 studies with 5,842 patients.[^11] Average weight loss at removal was 14.9 kg. An average of 8.01 kg remained off over follow-up of six months to five years.[^11] The authors concluded that balloons "offer minimally invasive short-term weight loss". They said balloons work best as temporary tools inside a wider obesity programme rather than on their own.[^11] ## What the prices leave out Safety is not in the price list. In June 2018, the FDA reported 12 deaths worldwide since 2016 involving two liquid-filled balloon systems, Orbera and ReShape.[^5] It also warned about perforation of the stomach or gullet, acute pancreatitis, and balloons spontaneously overinflating.[^5] The FDA advised close monitoring and telling patients which warning signs to watch for.[^5] Those risks matter more far from home. A patient with symptoms weeks after returning needs a team that knows the device is there and can remove it urgently. The support matters too. The 2025 review linked better results to structured programmes.[^11] A package that ends at the airport leaves that part out. ## How to compare a quote Ask which balloon is used, by brand. Then ask how long it stays, and who removes it, where, and at what cost. If the balloon must come out by endoscopy, price the second trip or the removal at home before you compare. A swallowed balloon avoids that step but costs more up front in the US.[^1][^9] Finally, ask who you call if you have severe pain or vomiting after you get home. Get a name and a number before you pay. [^1]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1964979/000119312526062599/alur-ex99_1.htm — Allurion Technologies, press release filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on FDA approval of the Allurion Gastric Balloon System (published Feb 23, 2026). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^2]: https://www.patientcareonline.com/view/fda-approves-first-smart-capsule-obesity — Patient Care, "FDA approves first smart capsule for obesity" (published Feb 2026). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^3]: https://www.healio.com/news/gastroenterology/20150806/fda-approves-orbera-intragastric-balloon-for-weight-loss-in-obese-adults — Healio, "FDA approves Orbera intragastric balloon for weight loss in obese adults" (published Aug 6, 2015). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^4]: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf19/P190012D.pdf — US Food and Drug Administration, Spatz3 Adjustable Balloon System, instructions for use, PMA P190012 (Oct 2021). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^5]: https://www.raps.org/resource/fda-alerts-health-providers-on-deaths-from-liquid.html — Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, "FDA alerts health providers on deaths from liquid-filled intragastric balloons" (published Jun 4, 2018). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^6]: https://www.placidway.com/article/5867/Gastric-Balloon-in-Turkey-vs-UK-Cost-Safety-Clinics-Reviews — PlacidWay, "Gastric balloon in Turkey vs UK" (updated Sep 9, 2026). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^7]: https://us-uk.bookimed.com/clinics/procedure=gastric-balloon/ — Bookimed, "Gastric balloon" country comparison, a booking platform's listing (updated Oct 1, 2026). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^8]: https://www.boltpharmacy.co.uk/guide/intragastric-balloon-treatment-for-obesity — Bolt Pharmacy, "Intragastric balloon treatment for obesity: UK guide" (updated May 21, 2026). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^9]: https://www.thepricer.org/how-much-does-an-allurion-balloon-cost/ — ThePricer, "How much does an Allurion balloon cost?" (published Apr 21, 2025). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^10]: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/first-nhs-patients-receive-gastric-balloon-weight-loss-treatment-5571953 — The Epoch Times, "First NHS patients receive gastric balloon weight loss treatment" (published Jan 23, 2024). Accessed Oct 3, 2026. [^11]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12354925/ — Cureus, "Comparative Efficacy and Long-Term Outcomes of Intragastric Balloons for Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" (published Jul 15, 2025), via PubMed Central. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.