Logo: to the web site of Uppsala University

This paper reviews many of the properties of a peptide that need to be considered prior to development as an oral dosage form when co-formulated with a permeation enhancer to improve oral bioavailability, including the importance and implications of peptide half-life on variability in pharmacokinetic profiles. Clinical consider-ations in terms of food and drug-drug interactions are also discussed. The paper further gives a brief overview how permeation enhancers overcome barriers that limit oral absorption of peptides and thereby improve their oral bioavailability, albeit bioavailabilities are still low single digit and variability is high.