Avivagen Announces Strategic Changes to Support Growth in Asia and South America

Avivagen Inc., a life sciences corporation focused on developing and commercializing products for livestock, companion animal and human applications that safely enhances feed intake and supports immune function, thereby supporting general health and performance, has announced new strategic measures to support continued growth in Asia and Brazil.

July 22, 2021 10:30 UTC
  • Addition of Mr. Lesley Nernberg brings technical sales and marketing expertise to Asia expansion efforts
  • Termination of distribution agreement with São Paulo-based Look Chemicals creates opportunity for accelerated adoption of OxC-betaTM Livestock in Brazil

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Avivagen Inc. (TSXV:VIV, OTCQB:VIVXF) (“Avivagen”), a life sciences corporation focused on developing and commercializing products for livestock, companion animal and human applications that safely enhances feed intake and supports immune function, thereby supporting general health and performance, has announced new strategic measures to support continued growth in Asia and Brazil.

Avivagen has retained the services of Mr. Lesley Nernberg as a technical sales and marketing consultant, focused on accelerating the adoption of OxC-betaTM Livestock in Asia. He has held important technical sales and operation management positions with multiple well-known multinational animal nutrition companies such as ADM, Diamond V and Biomin, with a focus on marketing feed additives and complete feed across Asia. Based in Thailand, Mr. Nernberg holds a graduate degree in animal science and nutrition from the University of Manitoba and has established himself as an expert in the livestock feed additive industry in Asia over the past nine years. In particular, Mr. Nernberg will focus primarily on Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea.

Avivagen also today announced the termination of its Brazilian OxC-betaTM Livestock distribution agreement with São Paulo-based Look Chemicals Importacao E Exportacao LTDA. Advanced discussions with potential new distribution partners are currently underway in order to support the company’s growth ambitions in the world’s third-largest feed production market.

“We have experienced considerable success in a number of Asian markets to date, and the addition of an accomplished, respected and connected expert like Mr. Nernberg will help us further establish OxC-betaTM as a leading health-promoting option for producers throughout the region,” says Kym Anthony, CEO of Avivagen Inc. “We’re also very excited about the potential for new agreements to support our continued and accelerated growth in Brazil. We thank Look Chemicals for their support during our entry into this important production market.”

About OxC-beta™ Technology and OxC-beta™ Livestock
Avivagen’s OxC-beta™ technology is derived from Avivagen discoveries about β-carotene and other carotenoids, compounds that give certain fruits and vegetables their bright colours. Through support of immune function, the technology provides a non-antibiotic means of promoting health and growth. OxC-beta™ Livestock is a proprietary product shown to be an effective and economic alternative to the antibiotics commonly added to livestock feeds. The product is currently available for sale in the United States, Philippines, Mexico, Taiwan, New Zealand, Thailand, Brazil, Australia and Malaysia.

Avivagen’s OxC-beta™ Livestock product is safe, effective and could fulfill the global mandate to remove all in-feed antibiotics as growth promoters. Numerous international livestock trials with poultry and swine using OxC-beta™ Livestock have proven that the product performs as well as, and, sometimes, in some aspects, better than in-feed antibiotics.

About Avivagen
Avivagen is a life sciences corporation focused on developing and commercializing products for livestock, companion animal and human applications that, by safely supporting immune function, promote general health and performance. It is a public corporation traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol VIV and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, based in partnership facilities of the National Research Council of Canada. For more information, visit www.avivagen.com. The contents of the website are expressly not incorporated by reference in this press release.

Forward Looking Statements
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon the current expectations of management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties associated with the business of Avivagen Inc. and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions “aim”, “anticipate”, “appear”, “believe”, “consider”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “if”, “intend”, “goal”, “hope”, “likely”, “may”, “plan”, “possibly”, “potentially”, “pursue”, “seem”, “should”, “whether”, “will”, “would” and similar expressions.

Statements set out in this news release relating to discussions with potential new distribution partners in Brazil, new agreements that might arise from such discussions and the possibility for continued and accelerated growth in Brazil as well as the possibility for OxC-beta™ Livestock to replace antibiotics in livestock feeds as growth promoters are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. For instance, discussions with potential new distribution partners may not result in an agreement, any new agreement with a distribution partner in Brazil may not result in growth for Avivagen in Brazil, Avivagen’s products may not gain market acceptance or regulatory approval in new jurisdictions or for new applications and may not be widely accepted as a replacement for antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock feeds due to many factors, many of which are outside of Avivagen’s control. Readers are referred to the risk factors associated with the business of Avivagen set out in Avivagen’s most recent management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition available at www.SEDAR.com. Except as required by law, Avivagen assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Copyright © 2021 Avivagen Inc. OxC-beta™ is a trademark of Avivagen Inc.

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Contacts

Avivagen Inc.
Drew Basek
Director of Investor Relations
100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6 Phone: 416-540-0733
E-mail: d.basek@avivagen.com
Kym Anthony

Chief Executive Officer
100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6 Head Office Phone: 613-949-8164
Website: www.avivagen.com

Source: Avivagen Inc.