Oral insulin delivery

An oral form of insulin has been the elusive goal for many investigators si nce the protein's initial discovery by Banting and Best in 1922. This paper will attempt to answer why this is the case by describing the substantial barriers to the development of oral insulin formulations. Following this de scription, specific strategies to overcome the barriers to oral insulin adm inistration will be discussed. Most notably, the use of permeation enhancer s, protease inhibitors, enteric coatings and polymer microsphere formulatio ns will be covered, including commentary on which methods hold more promise towards the successful development of oral insulin. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scie nce B.V. All rights reserved.