Swallowable balloon and GLP-1 medication: a new combination that could achieve more than 20% weight loss

The Obesity Unit at HCB Hospitales has introduced a new therapeutic strategy combining the Allurion swallowable balloon with GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, such as semaglutide or tirzepatide. The latest clinical evidence shows that this combination could help selected patients achieve weight loss of more than 20% of their body weight, always under medical supervision and as part of a comprehensive treatment programme.

The approach to obesity has moved away from single treatments towards a much more personalised model of care. Today, specialists can combine different therapeutic tools according to the individual characteristics and needs of each patient, helping to improve results and support healthier, more sustainable long-term weight loss.

“Every patient has different needs, and our aim is to design the most appropriate strategy to achieve effective, safe and sustainable weight loss over time,” explains Dr Álvaro Soler, bariatric surgeon at the HCB Hospitales Obesity Unit.

A treatment combining two different mechanisms

Evidence supports the combination

The first clinical studies to evaluate this combined approach have shown particularly promising results. In a series of patients treated with the Allurion balloon and semaglutide, average weight loss reached 20.3% after eight months of follow-up.

A subsequent clinical series combining the balloon with tirzepatide recorded an average weight loss of 23% after one year of treatment. The results also showed improved preservation of muscle mass and high levels of treatment adherence, important factors when supporting patients throughout their weight-loss journey.

Who is it suitable for?

Not every patient requires or is suitable for this combined treatment. Following a comprehensive medical assessment, the Obesity Unit team determines the most appropriate strategy based on factors including body mass index, associated health conditions, previous treatments and individual weight-loss goals.

This personalised assessment allows specialists to select the most suitable treatment options and carefully monitor each patient’s progress.

A comprehensive treatment, not a quick fix

Specialists emphasise that no treatment can achieve lasting results without changes to lifestyle habits. Healthy eating, regular physical activity, ongoing medical monitoring and nutritional support remain the foundations of successful obesity treatment and sustainable weight management.

The introduction of this combined strategy further reinforces HCB Hospitales’ commitment to personalised treatments based on scientific evidence. By incorporating new therapeutic options into its comprehensive approach to obesity care, the hospital group continues to offer patients additional alternatives for managing a complex condition and achieving healthier, sustainable weight loss.

For more information visit: www.hcbhospitales.com

As Spain’s relentless heatwaves become more dangerous, two cities are testing wearable technology that could change the way people work outdoors forever. Spain’s summers have changed. For generations, working outdoors meant little more than carrying a bottle of water, wearing a hat and finding a patch of shade whenever the opportunity arose. The heat was simply accepted as part of the job. With temperatures soaring well above 40°C across parts of the country and heatwaves lasting longer than ever, simply “taking it easy” is no longer enough to keep workers safe.

In Barcelona and Tarragona, employers are now turning to wearable technology in the fight against one of summer’s biggest dangers: heatstroke. The two cities have begun issuing smart wristbands to municipal workers who spend their days outdoors. The devices monitor the body’s response to extreme heat and warn wearers when they need to stop, cool down and hydrate before heat stress develops into something far more serious. It may sound like a small workplace initiative, but it raises a much bigger question. If these devices can help save lives, how long will it be before they become as common on building sites and roadworks as hard hats and high-visibility jackets?

A new tool for a new reality

For thousands of people across Spain, working from home isn’t an option. Street cleaners, gardeners, refuse collectors, construction workers, maintenance crews, delivery drivers and utility workers all spend hours outside, often during the hottest part of the day, while the rest of us can step into an air-conditioned office, café or supermarket. They don’t have that luxury.

The new wristbands are designed to act as an early warning system. Instead of waiting until someone begins to feel dizzy or unwell, the devices monitor physiological signs linked to heat stress and alert the wearer when it’s time to stop, drink water and seek shade. Sometimes, just a few minutes can make the difference between recovering from exhaustion and suffering a medical emergency.

Spain is adapting to a hotter future

The introduction of smart wristbands says something much bigger than the arrival of another piece of workplace technology. It reflects just how much Spain’s summers have changed. Heatwaves are arriving earlier, lasting longer and becoming more intense. Public health alerts have become almost routine, while employers are increasingly having to rethink how work is organised during the hottest months of the year.

Across Spain, many companies now start shifts earlier in the morning, increase rest breaks, provide cooling stations and ensure workers have constant access to drinking water. The wristbands are simply the latest example of how employers are adapting to a climate that is becoming harder to ignore.

Could the rest of Spain follow?

Although the initiative is currently limited to Barcelona and Tarragona, it is difficult to imagine other parts of Spain not watching closely. Every summer, thousands of outdoor workers face exactly the same conditions in Andalucía, Murcia, the Valencian Community, Madrid, Extremadura and the Balearic Islands.

As temperatures continue to break records, local councils and private employers may soon find themselves asking the same question: if technology can reduce the risk of heatstroke, why wouldn’t they use it? For now, there are no announcements suggesting the wristbands will be introduced nationwide. But successful pilot projects often become the starting point for much wider changes, particularly when they involve workplace safety.

Could the technology go even further?

The idea also raises another possibility. If wearable devices can protect outdoor workers, could they eventually help other vulnerable groups? Spain has one of Europe’s oldest populations and welcomes millions of tourists every summer, many of whom are unfamiliar with the risks of prolonged exposure to extreme heat.

Hikers tackling mountain trails, cyclists, runners, festival-goers and elderly people living alone could all potentially benefit from technology capable of warning them before heat exhaustion turns into heatstroke. That remains speculation rather than policy, but only a few years ago the idea of municipal workers wearing smart bracelets to prevent heatstroke would also have sounded far-fetched.

A glimpse of Spain’s future

There was a time when wearable technology was mostly associated with counting steps, measuring heart rates or tracking fitness goals. Today, in parts of Spain, it is being used for something far more important: keeping people alive. The smart wristbands being tested in Barcelona and Tarragona are not a miracle solution. They won’t stop heatwaves, lower temperatures or replace common sense.

Workers will still need regular breaks, plenty of water and sensible working practices, but they could provide one more layer of protection as Spain adjusts to a climate that is becoming increasingly unforgiving. Whether these devices remain a local initiative or become standard equipment across the country will depend on the results of the current rollout. One thing, however, is becoming impossible to ignore. When technology starts warning people that they are getting too hot to work safely, it is a powerful reminder of just how dramatically life in Spain is changing. Because the question is no longer whether Spain’s summers are getting hotter. It’s how far the country will have to go to keep people safe when they do.

For less than the cost of dinner, residents in Spain can enter a draw for one of two newly built homes near Ronda. But anyone whose number is chosen on October 2 could face a complicated decision, as accepting the keys may also produce a substantial Spanish income-tax bill.

How a €10 Málaga house could leave the winner needing thousands in cash

For thousands of people unable to afford a deposit in Spain, the offer is impossible to ignore: a newly built three-bedroom home in Málaga province for the price of a €10 raffle ticket.

Two properties in Cuevas del Becerro, around 20 minutes from Ronda, are being offered through a government-authorised raffle. Both are finished, free of mortgages and ready to occupy, with a €20,000 furniture voucher included.

But the winning ticket would not make the house entirely free. The property and furniture would count as taxable income, potentially leaving the recipient with a bill running into tens of thousands of euros.

Why the €10 winning ticket may not mean a free home

The two properties have official prize values of €205,146.73 and €202,726.69, including their respective furniture vouchers. Each home has just over 100 square metres of constructed space, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen-living area and an outside patio.

Organiser Arkipromo will pay the property transfer tax, notary costs and Land Registry fees. It will also make the advance income-tax payment required for a non-cash prize. However, the winner must declare the full prize as a capital gain in their annual Spanish income-tax return, known as Impuesto sobre la Renta de las Personas Físicas (IRPF).

The company will pay an advance calculated at 19 per cent of the prize’s acquisition value, increased by 20 per cent for tax purposes. Any further amount due will depend on the winner’s income and personal circumstances.

The Union of Technicians at Spain’s Ministry of Finance, known as Gestha, told El País that the tax generated by a prize of this size could be around €70,000 to €90,000 for someone earning a net €23,000 without family allowances. The precise amount would vary, and the advance paid by the organiser would form part of the final calculation.

That could mean a very bittersweet moment and a serious issue for a winner who has no savings and can’t easily borrow against the property.

Who can enter the Málaga house raffle

A total of 200,000 digital tickets, numbered from 000000 to 199999, are being sold for €10 each. The published rules restrict entry to individual adults who live in Spain and hold a valid Spanish identity card, residence card or passport. Companies and group syndicates cannot enter jointly. Eligible British residents in Spain can therefore participate.

Ticket sales officially close at noon on October 1, 2026. Anyone entering should keep the purchase confirmation and ensure that the name and identification details supplied are correct, as the winner must prove that they match the raffle’s electronic register. 

Participants should think of it as if they’re buying a regular lottery ticket. Each ticket has a rough chance of one in 100,000 of winning either house, based on two different winning numbers being selected from the 200,000 issued. Not bad odds if you compare it to something like the Euromillions or The National Lottery.

How the Málaga homes will be awarded

The draw will take place at 11am on October 2 at a notary’s office in Málaga, with two numbers selected manually under notarial supervision. Each winning number will receive one of the houses. If the same number is drawn twice, the second draw will be repeated so that one ticket cannot win both properties.

There is another important and sneaky condition. The draw includes all 200,000 numbers, whether their tickets have been purchased or not. If an unsold number is selected, that house will remain unclaimed and there will be no replacement draw.

Winners will need tax advice before accepting the keys

The result and notarial record are due to be published on the raffle website. Arkipromo plans to hand over the properties on October 5, although the legal rules give winners six months to claim their prize before it expires on April 2, 2027.

A winning resident should seek independent tax advice immediately, rather than assuming the organiser’s advance payment covers the entire liability. Selling or mortgaging the home to meet the bill may be possible, but its achievable sale value, timescale and associated costs would need to be examined first. For everyone else, the €10 entry remains a gamble offering an extraordinary prize, but not a very affordable route to home ownership.