| abstract |
A pharmaceutical composition for oral delivery of a peptide is in the form of a lamination having at least two layers. The first layer of the lamination includes at least one pharmaceutically acceptable pH-lowering agent. The second layer includes a therapeutically effective amount of the peptide. The composition also includes at least one absorption enhancer effective to promote bioavailability of the peptide, which is preferably in the second layer, and an enteric coating surrounding the lamination. In a preferred dosage form of a tablet, a water-soluble coating is applied between the lamination and the enteric coating which substantially prevents contact between the pH-lowering agent and the enteric coating. In a preferred embodiment, the peptide is salmon calcitonin, the pH-lowering agent is citric acid, and the absorption enhancer is lauroyl l-carnitine. |