Allurion has launched the AllurionMeds GLP-1 programme, a new AI-supported monitoring platform and drug dispensary service.
At the centre of the new platform is Coach Iris, a conversational AI behavioural coach, trained on Allurion’s real-world experience with more than 150,000 patients. The solution addresses the most common concerns of patients looking to begin a GLP-1 programme such as weight loss maintenance.
Patients who embark on the programme gain access to Allurion’s GLP-1 companion app, which offers virtual access to dieticians and a connected smart scale for patients to keep track of muscle and bone mass in addition to weight – a provision Allurion said gives a clearer insight into ensuring that both the quantity and quality of weight loss is being monitored.
Allurion founder and CEO Dr Shantanu Gaur commented: “Real-world use of GLP-1s has highlighted three critical issues: poor medication adherence and wrap-around support, muscle and bone mass loss, and untenable cost to the healthcare system.
“AllurionMeds leverages our existing platform to address all three of these issues by providing 24/7 AI-powered coaching, monitoring of weight, muscle mass and bone mass, and offering high quality and affordable compounded semaglutide delivered at home.”
Allurion’s digital health vice president Brian Conyer said: “After careful evaluation of multiple partners, we selected pharmacies that met our high standards to create an experience that is ‘always on’ through Coach Iris.
“In the future, we intend to expand the types of GLP-1s available and also offer brand-name versions to provide patients with as many options as possible for their weight loss journey.”
Another of Allurion’s key products is its gastric weight loss balloons. The company recently shared data from a study in which patients treated with Saxenda who achieved no weight loss of less than 5%, showed an average weight loss of 17.6% after four months of treatment with its swallowable gastric balloon.
The obesity drug market is currently dominated by GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1ra’s), with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) the frontrunners. According to GlobalData analysis, the obesity drug market is forecast to reach a valuation of $37.1bn by 2031.
While the efficacy of Allurion’s gastric balloon is promising, it is evident the company has struggled against the meteoric rise of GLP-1s. Signing a SPAC deal to go public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in February 2023, the company received a delisting warning for falling short of share price compliance standards in August 2024.
