Peelz was born out of a straightforward but frustrating clinical reality: patients scheduled for surgery were told to stop smoking — and then largely left on their own to figure out how. The existing NRT landscape offered patches, gums, and lozenges, but nothing designed specifically around the surgical patient's experience, timeline, or support needs.
"The standard NRT formats weren't built for the surgical pathway. A patient with a procedure in six weeks needs something faster, more discreet, and with clinical guidance built in — not just a patch they picked up at the pharmacy."
— Gray Ogden Ibbeken, Co-Founder & CEO
Gray Ogden Ibbeken, drawing on 30+ years in the orthopedic industry including her role as Director of Medical Education for Zimmer Biomet Midatlantic, saw this gap firsthand. She partnered with Matthew Long, whose background in capital structuring and strategic growth at Afton Financial Partners and HillTop Holdings brought the business architecture needed to bring Peelz to market.
Together, they assembled a clinical team anchored by Dr. Susan Saliba, a University of Virginia professor and researcher with four decades of expertise in physical therapy and athletic training. The result was Afton Biotech LLC and its first product: Peelz Nicotine Strips.
Peelz isn't reinventing cessation science — it's standing on it. Decades of clinical research on non-combustible NRT products (patches, gums, lozenges, inhalers, and oral films) and the structured step-down programs that accompany them established the gold standard for nicotine cessation when paired with behavioral support. The 8-, 10-, and 12-week step-down regimens shipped with every Peelz kit follow that clinical-guideline-recommended NRT duration.
What makes Peelz different is the delivery method. Each strip is a thin, fast-dissolving oral film that releases nicotine directly through the oral transmucosal membrane — bypassing the digestive system, with rapid absorption through the oral transmucosal membrane, and dissolving completely in 60–90 seconds with no chewing, swallowing, or residue. The result is a best-in-class NRT program built to work alongside clinicians: surgical pre-op pathways, primary-care cessation counseling, and pharmacist-led tobacco treatment programs, supported by a hotline staffed by certified nurse practitioners.
