In vitro models for the prediction of in vivo performance of oral dosage forms: Recent progress from partnership through the IMI OrBiTo collaboration

The availability of in vitro tools that are constructed on the basis of a detailed knowledge of key aspects of gastrointestinal (GI) physiology and their impact on formulation performance and subsequent drug release behaviour is fundamental to the success and efficiency of oral drug product development. Over the last six years, the development and optimization of improved, biorelevant in vitro tools has been a cornerstone of the IMI OrBiTo (Oral Biopharmaceutics Tools) project. By bringing together key industry and academic partners, and by linking tool development and optimization to human studies to understand behaviour at the formulation/GI tract interface, the collaboration has enabled innovation, optimization and implementation of the requisite biorelevant in vitro tools. In this paper, we present an overview of the in vitro tools investigated during the collaboration and offer a perspective on their future use in enhancing the development of new oral drug products.