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They can swallow a capsule, drink a smoothie, or consume
a fortified food that delivers their therapy through the gut.

For patients, this is empowerment.
For the healthcare system, this is relief.
But for pharmaceutical companies, this is
disintermediation.
Because if the drug works without the cold chain, without
the device, and without the clinical infrastructure, then
what exactly are patients paying for?

3. Adherence and Durability

In today’s biologic market, immune rejection is treated like
an unfortunate side effect. Patients who develop anti-drug
antibodies (ADAs) are switched to a new therapy. From the
industry’s perspective, that’s not failure—it’s progression.
A patient cycling through multiple biologics often stays
within the same portfolio of products.

But edible biologics introduce something radical: the
possibility of tolerance.

Because they interact with the immune system through the
mucosal interface, edible biologics can promote regulatory
responses instead of inflammatory ones. Oral delivery of
autoantigens, cytokines, or therapeutic proteins has been
shown in preclinical studies to reduce ADA formation,
increase Treg activity, and extend therapeutic durability.

This doesn’t just make treatment more effective—it reduces
churn. And that breaks a quiet but critical business
assumption: that failure drives future revenue.

If patients stay on one therapy longer, the market stops
rotating.
If tolerization becomes the norm, therapy volume
shrinks—even as outcomes improve.

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