Ingestible Injectable Devices Emerge as Novel Solution for Oral Biologic Delivery, Boosting Compliance

Biologic therapeutics hold immense promise for chronic disease treatment, yet their widespread use is hampered by the necessity for parenteral administration. This invasive route often leads to poor patient compliance and treatment failure. Traditional oral delivery methods for biologics face significant hurdles from gastric barriers, including enzymatic degradation and acidic environments, resulting in minimal success despite efforts with carriers, permeation enhancers, and peptide modifications. A critical gap exists for non-invasive, highly compliant delivery systems that can protect biologics and facilitate their systemic absorption.

This short review provides an overview of novel and emerging drug delivery technologies: Ingestible Injectable and Ingestible Microneedle Robotic devices. The authors synthesized current literature to describe how these innovative systems aim to facilitate enhanced oral uptake of biologics. The review specifically focused on the mechanisms by which these devices overcome gastric barriers and improve patient adherence, contrasting them with the limited success of conventional oral delivery strategies.

The review highlights that Ingestible Injectable and Ingestible Microneedle Robotic devices represent a paradigm shift in biologic delivery by enabling localized, direct injection within the gastrointestinal tract. This mechanism effectively bypasses the harsh gastric environment and enzymatic degradation that typically render orally administered biologics ineffective.

These smart devices are designed to deliver biologics directly into the intestinal wall, ensuring their integrity and facilitating systemic absorption, which is critical for therapeutic efficacy. By offering a non-invasive, patient-friendly oral route, these devices are poised to significantly enhance patient compliance compared to traditional injections. The technology leverages precise mechanical action to penetrate the mucosal layer, allowing for controlled and efficient drug release, addressing the long-standing challenge of poor bioavailability for large therapeutic molecules.