Avivagen Announces Publication of Peer-Reviewed Article in Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal

Publication of this Scientific Paper on the Safety of Oxidized Beta Carotene is a milestone on the path to broader regulatory clearance to market and sell OxC-beta Products in the U.S. and supports wide-spread adoption of the technology around the world

OTTAWA, Ontario--()--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, is pleased to announce that its scientific paper entitled “Safety and uptake of fully Oxidized Beta Carotene” (the active ingredient in the company’s OxC-beta™ product line) has been published in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology. A link to the article is provided below.

“With any innovative product, adoption and uptake require a robust understanding of the benefits and safety of that product and necessitate significant scrutiny. Avivagen has been working tirelessly to showcase the multiple, compelling use cases of OxC-beta and concurrent proven safety. This new peer reviewed publication, one of now ten such publications on OxC-beta, represents the cumulative work on the attractive safety profile of our product. This pioneering work by Dr. Graham Burton, co-founder of Avivagen, and his team lays important groundwork to seek further regulatory approvals for OxC-beta in the U.S. and around the world, for multiple use cases and with strong, proven scientific underpinnings expected by our end market customers,” said Kym Anthony, Avivagen CEO. “We look forward to sharing these results with existing and new customers and providing this to regulatory bodies around the world as we look to further expand our access to large markets.”

Please refer to the full content of the peer-reviewed publication on the “Safety and uptake of fully oxidized Beta Carotene” by following the link below: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691522005853?via%3Dihub

About OxC-beta™ Technology
β-carotene has been primarily recognized for the health benefits it provides when it is transformed into vitamin A by biochemical reaction with oxygen in the body. Avivagen discovered that spontaneous oxidation of β-carotene produces a mixture of oxidation compounds other than vitamin A that also provide important health benefits. The mixture of β-carotene oxidation compounds, OxC-beta, a product developed by Avivagen, contains neither β-carotene or vitamin A, indicating its health benefits stem uniquely from the oxidation compounds themselves. Incorporation of OxC-beta into products for livestock, companion animal and humans show a range of practical benefits. A peer reviewed paper just published in the prestigious Food and Chemical Toxicology journal (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2022.113387) has reported that OxC-beta has a very high margin of safety and the discovery that the natural counterpart of OxC-beta is present at significant levels in mouse tissues and blood. A standard toxicology study conducted in rats established a No Observed Adverse Effect Level that is several thousand-fold higher than the level of supplementation with OxC-beta used in livestock, companion animals and humans. These findings are highly significant in establishing the safety of OxC-beta with respect to regulatory approvals of the product in various major jurisdictions.

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.

About 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, Vietnam 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.

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 the potential positive impacts expected to arise from the publication of the above referenced article, the possibility for further regulatory approvals and expanded use cases for Avivagen’s products, the future growth and prospects for Avivagen and 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, 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 © 2022 Avivagen Inc. OxC-beta™ is a trademark of Avivagen Inc.

Contacts

For more information:
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

Contacts

For more information:
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