Advances in and Perspectives on Oral Drug Delivery

Dear Colleagues,

Oral drug delivery remains the most convenient and patient-preferred route of administration. However, significant challenges limit its effectiveness, including poor solubility and permeability, instability in the gastrointestinal tract, enzymatic degradation, and barriers to delivering complex therapeutics such as peptides and biologics. This Special Issue, guest-edited by experts in formulation technology and biopharmaceutics, aims to showcase cutting-edge research and critical reviews that advance the science and practice of oral delivery.

We welcome contributions focusing on innovative formulation strategies (e.g., lipid-based systems, nanocarriers, and solid dispersions), mechanistic studies on absorption and transporter targeting, and studies presenting novel approaches for oral peptides and biologics, advanced tools such as PBPK modeling, and translational or regulatory perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on advances that improve bioavailability, stability, targeted release, disease-specific dosing strategies, long-term plasma retention, and patient compliance.

The objectives of this Special Issue are as follows:

1. To highlight innovative formulation strategies that overcome the challenges of solubility, permeability, stability, and patient compliance in oral drug delivery;
2. To present mechanistic insights into drug absorption, transporter interactions, and enzymatic degradation in the gastrointestinal tract;
3. To explore novel approaches for the oral delivery of challenging molecules, including peptides, proteins, nucleic acids, and natural products;
4. To encourage research on transitioning established injectable drugs into patient-centric oral dosage forms;
5. To provide perspectives on translational and regulatory pathways that can accelerate clinical adoption of advanced oral delivery technologies.

Dr. Laxman Subedi
Dr. Mohammad Imran
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.