Advancements, challenges and future perspectives on peptide-based drugs: Focus on antimicrobial peptides

•Timeline and R&D trends in peptide-based drug applications have been discussed.•Recent technological advancements in the therapeutic development of peptide drugs have been thoroughly assessed.•Challenges particularly drug formulation, peptide synthesis, and drug resistance related to peptide drugs have been presented.•Future outlooks in the development of efficient and sustainable peptide drugs have been proposed.