Oak Therapeutics Secures Funding for HIV Treatment Strip for Children

In a significant breakthrough for pediatric HIV treatment, Oak Therapeutics, a pioneering life sciences company based in Thousand Oaks, California, has secured a $1.9 million SBIR Phase II award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding will support the development of a novel three-drug Oral Dissolvable Strip (ODS) designed specifically for infants and young children living with HIV.

Oak Therapeutics’ innovative ALD-ODS strip, which combines abacavir (ABC), lamivudine (3TC), and dolutegravir (DTG), promises to simplify the complex regimen often faced by young patients. “Children should not have to struggle with medications simply because conventional dosage forms were designed primarily for adults,” emphasized Dr. Edward Maliski, Oak Therapeutics’ CEO and Chief Scientific Officer. “Our goal is to make HIV treatment more accessible and manageable for both children and their caregivers.”

The new award builds upon Oak’s previous success in Phase I, where the company demonstrated that the three chemically distinct antiretroviral drugs could be effectively integrated into a single-layer ODS. Preclinical studies have already shown in-vivo bioequivalence in rats, indicating that the strip can deliver the necessary therapeutic levels of the drugs. The Phase II program will focus on optimizing the strip’s performance, conducting preclinical toxicology and pharmacokinetic studies, and developing a continuous manufacturing process to ensure scalability.

ALD-ODS stands out for its user-friendly design. The strip is ready-to-use, pleasant tasting, and requires no water for administration, making it an ideal solution for young children who may have difficulty swallowing traditional pills. “We are pushing the boundaries of conventional oral film technology with our proprietary platform, which offers industry-leading drug loading, programmable dissolution, and customized dosing,” said Dr. Maliski.

The HIV program is part of Oak Therapeutics’ broader mission to develop drug-delivery technologies that can be adapted to the needs of different patients, particularly those in pediatric and geriatric populations. In 2025, the company also received an NIH SBIR Phase II award for an ODS containing 300mg of isoniazid and rifapentine for the treatment of latent tuberculosis, further showcasing the versatility of Oak’s platform.

Dr. Maliski noted, “Our objective is larger than developing a single product. Oak’s platform can be adapted to the needs of medicines and the patient, particularly for those who find conventional tablets, capsules, or liquids problematic.” This approach underscores Oak’s commitment to improving patient compliance and quality of life.

Oak Therapeutics, headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, with R&D laboratories in Lawrence, Kansas, specializes in innovative drug-delivery technologies. The company’s proprietary Oral Dissolvable Strip (ODS) technology offers high drug loading, tailored dissolution and release, mucoadhesion, taste masking, and customized dosing for patients of various weight bands.

The NIH funding acknowledges the critical role of such research in advancing treatment options for infectious diseases. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of the National Institutes of Health.