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 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.