A comprehensive review reports over 40 peptide drugs approved in the last decade and highlights nose-to-brain nasal delivery as a promising frontier for expanding peptide therapeutics beyond injections.
40+ peptides approved in a decadePeptide therapeutics have seen rapid growth, treating metabolic disorders, genetic diseases, and infections, with nasal delivery as an emerging administration route
What the researchers found
Over 40 peptide drugs have been approved in the last decade, targeting structures ranging from GPCRs to pathogens and treating metabolic disorders, genetic diseases, and acute illnesses. Key advances include:
- Strategies to improve peptide stability: backbone modification, sequence optimization, cyclization, and addition of stabilizing moieties
- Progress in oral peptide delivery, though requiring specialized design or GI tract permeabilization
- Nasal administration emerging as a dual-purpose route: systemic uptake and direct nose-to-brain delivery
- Nose-to-brain delivery already in clinical use for some compounds, though underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood
- Peptides uniquely bridge the gap between small molecules and biologics in terms of structural diversity
Why it matters
Peptide therapeutics are one of the fastest-growing drug classes, driven by successes like GLP-1 agonists for diabetes and obesity. Understanding the current state of the field — including the challenges of stability, bioavailability, and delivery — is essential for appreciating where peptide medicine is heading. Nose-to-brain delivery could be transformative for neurological diseases that are currently difficult to treat.
How the study worked
This is a comprehensive review article surveying the current landscape of approved peptide therapeutics, strategies for improving peptide drug properties, and routes of administration with emphasis on nasal/nose-to-brain delivery. The review covers both approved drugs and emerging research directions.
What this study cannot tell us
As a review article, this does not present new experimental data. The discussion of nose-to-brain delivery acknowledges that the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood, meaning clinical translation remains challenging. The review provides a broad overview rather than deep analysis of any single peptide drug or delivery system.
How to read the evidence
This is a comprehensive review article summarizing the current state of the field. It synthesizes data from multiple sources but does not present original research data.
When this study was published
Published in 2025, this provides a very current snapshot of the peptide therapeutics landscape, including the latest approved drugs and delivery innovations.
The bigger picture
The peptide therapeutics field is experiencing rapid growth, with innovations in stability, oral delivery, and nasal delivery expanding what peptides can treat. As the field matures, peptides are increasingly filling the therapeutic space between traditional small molecules and large biologics, offering high specificity with improving pharmacokinetic properties. Nose-to-brain delivery could open up entirely new treatment paradigms for neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Questions still open
- Which neurological conditions are most likely to benefit from nose-to-brain peptide delivery in the near term?
- Can the strategies that improved oral peptide bioavailability be combined with nasal delivery for enhanced brain targeting?
- What safety considerations arise from repeated nasal peptide administration and potential effects on nasal mucosa?
Common questions
Why can't most peptide drugs be taken as pills?
What is nose-to-brain delivery?
Read the original research
Peptide therapeutics: current status and future opportunity with focus on nose-to-brain delivery☆.
Peptides, 188, 171404
Citation
Jülke, Eva-Maria; Beck-Sickinger, Annette G. (2025). Peptide therapeutics: current status and future opportunity with focus on nose-to-brain delivery☆.. Peptides, 188, 171404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2025.171404