Peptide GLP-1 receptor agonists: From injection to oral delivery strategies.

Biochem Pharmacol · 2024

Last updated 2026-05-28

Most GLP-1 drugs for type 2 diabetes must be injected under the skin, but one oral version (semaglutide) exists. The oral option has low absorption into the body and often causes stomach or intestinal side effects. Research is ongoing to improve oral delivery methods for these drugs.

AI summary of the abstract below.

Journal	Biochem Pharmacol, 2024
Citations	18
Relative citation ratio	4.02
NIH percentile	89
Molecules	—
Conditions studied	Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Chronic Kidney Disease, Mash, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Pcos, Heart Failure

Abstract

Peptide glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are effective drugs for treating type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and have been proven to benefit the heart and kidney. Apart from oral semaglutide, which does not require injection, other peptide GLP-1RAs need to be subcutaneously administered. However, oral semaglutide also faces significant challenges, such as low bioavailability and frequent gastrointestinal discomfort. Thus, it is imperative that advanced oral strategies for peptide GLP-1RAs need to be explored. This review mainly compares the current advantages and disadvantages of various oral delivery strategies for peptide GLP-1RAs in the developmental stage and discusses the latest research progress of peptide GLP-1RAs, providing a useful guide for the development of new oral peptide GLP-1RA drugs.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 39127152 ↗