Applications

1515 – Endoscopic placement and removal of an intra-gastric balloon (IGB) for the management of overweight and obesity in a high-risk patient

Find out about the service or technology in this application and the medical condition it addresses. You can also view the application documents, the deadlines for providing consultation input and the outcome of the application when the MSAC process is complete.

  • Status Complete
  • Type New application
  • Pre-PASC consultation -
  • Pre-MSAC consultation -
  • Outcome Not supported

Application details

Reason for application

New MBS item

Service or technology in this application

The intra-gastric balloon (IGB) system is designed to assist weight loss by partially filling the stomach and inducing satiety. The balloon is placed in the stomach endoscopically and then filled with saline, causing it to expand into a spherical shape. The filled balloon is designed to act as an artificial bezoar and move freely within the stomach. The maximum placement period for the intra-gastric balloon is 6 months, and it must be removed at that time or earlier. This submission is focused on evidence pertaining to Orbera™, but the MBS item codes requested are not restricted to a particular IGB device.

Type: Therapeutic

Medical condition this application addresses

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic; obesity is defined as BMI > 3035 kg/m2. This application focuses on the population with a BMI≥30< 35 kg/m2 accompanied with other major medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes (with the key focus being on patients with uncontrolled diabetes). The life expectancy of this group of obese adult is 2-4 years lower than those with normal weight (ANPHA, PSC 2009).

Obesity is a complex chronic disease with genetic, environmental, physiological and behavioural determinants that requires long-term care. In 2014-15, 63.4% of Australians aged 18 years were above normal weight, with 27.9% being obese (ABS cat 4364.0.55.001). It is estimated that ≈15% of Australians have a BMI≥30< 35 kg/m2 (see Table 1). Obesity is often associated with a broad range of complications including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidaemia, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis, and specific cancers, which significantly impair quality of life. The total burden of disease due to obesity, as reported in the Medibank Obesity Report, was $37.7 billion in 2008-09. The latest Price Waterhouse Coopers report estimated the downstream effects of obesity on other health care costs, productivity etc., in 2014-15 to be at $8.6 billion.

Meetings to consider this application

  • PASC meeting: 9 August 2018
  • ESC meeting: 13 June 2019
  • MSAC meeting: 1 - 2 August 2019