Advances in the oral delivery of proteins

The efforts to develop oral formulations of protein drugs have been intensified in recent years as a consequence of the increasing number of protein-based therapeutics that are being identified. Yet, due to the substantial and unprecedented challenges that the oral delivery of proteins presents, advances in this field have been relatively slow. Nonetheless, several oral formulations of proteins are already in clinical trials and others are expected to start clinical testing in the immediate future. This review discusses the recent developments and the patent literature in the area of oral delivery of protein therapeutics.