OTTAWA, April 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avivagen Inc. (TSXV:VIV) (OTC Pink:CHEXF) (Avivagen or the Corporation), a company with a proven and commercially-ready, patent protected product intended to replace the antibiotics added to livestock feeds as growth promoters, announces an additional purchase order of the same value and quantity from UNAHCO, Inc. (UNAHCO) in the Philippines for 150 kg of OxC-beta™ Livestock 10% premix at pricing in line with Avivagen’s target. The shipping date of the product is subject to receipt of an import permit. Based on recent conversations between executives at each of Avivagen and UNAHCO, Avivagen anticipates further orders from UNAHCO.
UNAHCO is the exclusive distributor for Avivagen’s OxC-beta™ Livestock in the Philippines, where it is now registered for use in all food animal species. UNAHCO is the wholly-owned feed and veterinary subsidiary of Unilab Inc., the biggest pharmaceutical company in the Philippines. UNAHCO provides a broad range of animal healthcare and nutrition products and programs to meet the requirements of both commercial and individual farmers in the Philippines as well as abroad. It is a leading producer of pig and poultry feed and has a distribution network that serves more than 3,000 outlets, supported by more than 100 field personnel.
Avivagen intends to accelerate market access and the commercial uptake of its OxC-beta™ Livestock product. Avivagen operates in Canada with headquarters in Ottawa and is actively working with large, vertically integrated livestock producers and feed companies in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
About Avivagen
Avivagen Inc. is a public company traded on the TSXV under the symbol VIV and is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, based in partnership facilities of the National Research Council of Canada and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. For more information, visit www.avivagen.com.
About OxC-beta™ Technology and OxC-beta™ Livestock
OxC-beta™ Technology is derived from Avivagen discoveries about carotenoids, compounds that give certain fruits and vegetables their bright colors and is a non-antibiotic means of maintaining optimal health and growth. OxC-beta™ Livestock is a proprietary product shown to be effective and economic in replacing the antibiotics commonly added to livestock feeds. OxC-beta™ Livestock is currently registered and available for sale in the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
Avivagen’s product addresses one of the world’s leading risks to human health: the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria, known as antimicrobial resistance. In order to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for human health, their use in the food chain as growth promoters for livestock animals must be eliminated. This use of antibiotics represents the single largest and majority use of antibiotics globally. Government agencies, global health organizations, livestock producers and end market food companies and their customers are now reaching consensus on the need to raise livestock without the use of antibiotics. Consequently the search is on for alternative products that will fill the gap to maintain health and productivity under modern production conditions.
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.
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”, ”helps”, “hope”, “likely”, “may”, “plan”, “possibly”, “potentially”, “pursue”, “seem”, “should”, “whether”, “will”, “would” and similar expressions or opinions of management. Avivagen faces risks and uncertainties in connection with its business, including, but not limited to, the following: Avivagen’s ability to continue as a going concern; whether UNAHCO will continue to place orders; whether an import permit will be issued, if at all; the results of ongoing or future trials may not be positive or sufficiently positive; even if the results of trials are positive, there is no guarantee that Avivagen’s products will be commercially successful or that requisite registrations or regulatory approvals will be obtained or maintained; the timing and results of trials may be delayed or may not be completed at all; whether Avivagen will achieve any of the goals set out in this press release, if at all; whether Avivagen can obtain further commercial and trial alliances in Asia and elsewhere; whether the orders of OxC-Beta will increase as the product moves through sales and marketing; whether UNAHCO’s orders will increase as product efficacy is demonstrated; whether UNAHCO, Inc. will anticipate an increase in its order backlog as it demonstrates the value of OxC-Beta™ Livestock; and intellectual property rights may not be granted, or, if granted, may prove inadequate to protect Avivagen’s inventions. Readers should also refer to the risk factors in Avivagen’s Annual Information Form and other securities law filings from time to time. Accordingly, readers should not place undue or even any reliance on forward-looking statements. 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 © 2017 Avivagen Inc. OxC-beta™ is a trademark of Avivagen Inc.