Energy balance
Sirona, a gastro-retentive dual-network polymer hydrogel, promotes weight loss and reduces dietary intake in adults with obesity (BMI 30-40 kg/m2) through mechanical gastric retention, demonstrating a large effect size compared to placebo in a 12-week pilot trial.
Sirona is a non-drug weight loss option for people with obesity (BMI 30-40). It works by swelling in the stomach to help you feel full, leading to reduced food intake and weight loss. In a short trial, it helped people lose about 4% of their body weight over 12 weeks, which is a significant amount. Side effects like nausea are common at first but are usually mild and go away. It requires taking pills daily with water on an empty stomach, along with basic healthy eating and exercise advice.
Percentage total body weight loss was greater for Sirona compared to Placebo after 12 weeks (3.9 [3.0]% versus 1.0 [2.1]%, g = 0.96 [-1.81, -0.10]). Weight loss continued in the OLE (change from baseline = 4.4 [3.8]%). Dietary intake reduced from baseline after 12 weeks of treatment (-382.5 [519.3] kcal; Placebo = 93.5 [670.3] kcal, g = -0.8 [-1.7, 0.0]) and after 24 weeks (-338.2 [486.7] kcal, g = 0.7 [0.2, 1.1]).
Why this rating
The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial, which provides high-quality evidence for safety and preliminary efficacy, but the small sample size (n=39) and short duration limit generalizability.
Source
A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Pilot Trial With Open‐Label Extension of Sirona, a Hydrogel for Weight Loss
James Byrne et al. · Obesity · 2025
DOI 10.1002/oby.70066
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