Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hello Pat: I wonder if you would give me your analysis and opinion of the company Avivagen Inc. (VIV). Thanks very much!

Article Excerpt

A: Avivagen Inc., $0.15, symbol VIV on the TSX Venture Exchange (Shares outstanding: 256.8 million; Market cap: $38.5 million; www.avivagen.com), aims to sell replacements to the antibiotics now fed to livestock. It will initially concentrate on the two largest feed segments—swine and broiler poultry. Avivagen operates out of the partnership facilities of the National Research Council of Canada, in both Ottawa and Charlottetown. For companion animals (“pets”), the company has already created two branded lines of products—Vivamune Vital Health3 Chews and Oximunol Chewable Tablets. Both are meant to improve or maintain quality of life for pets, although Avivagen has yet to bring the products to market. The use of antibiotics to promote growth in beef cattle, swine and poultry has been banned for over 10 years in Europe. More recently, those antibiotics have raised concerns among health authorities and consumers in North America. That’s led to demands for bans here. The company believes that creates a market for its future products. Avivagen’s exclusive…