Methods and compositions for oral administration of proteins

A method for increasing the bioavailability of a protein having a molecular weight up to 100,000 Daltons in a subject, comprising orally administering, to the subject, a formulation that comprises a pharmaceutical composition, wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises:

• (i) the protein, wherein the protein is somatotropin, insulin growth factor-I, an oxidoreductase, a transferase, a hydrolase, a lyase, an isomerase, a ligase, an annexin, an ATP-binding cassette transporter, hemoglobin, an ATPase, a calcium channel, a potassium channel, a sodium channel, a solute carrier, an albumin, lactoglobulin, casein, ovomucin, ferritin, phosvitin, lactoferrin, vitellogenin, amyloid, collagen, elastin, or fibrillin;
• (ii) at least two protease inhibitors, wherein the protease inhibitors comprise at least both soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) and aprotinin;
• (iii) omega-3 fatty acid;
• (iv) a substance that enhances absorption of the protein through the subject's intestinal mucosal barrier, wherein the substance is (a) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or a salt thereof, or (b) a bile acid or alkali metal salt thereof;
• and
• (v) an enteric or gelatin coating;
• and
• wherein the protease inhibitors increase the bioavailability of the protein when the composition is administered orally to the subject.