Novus And Verenium Introduce The Newest Addition To Novus's Enzyme Solutions Portfolio: CIBENZA® PHYTAVERSE™

ST. LOUIS and SAN DIEGO, July 26, 2013  /PRNewswire/ -- Novus International, Inc. and Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM) today announced the name of their new phytase enzyme product, CIBENZA^® PHYTAVERSE™.  This new innovative phytase is specifically designed to unlock more of the hidden nutritional value in phytate for improved animal growth and well-being. 

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The two companies, which entered into a strategic partnership in 2011, designed CIBENZA^® PHYTAVERSE™ to have specific performance characteristics that offer significant advantages over current phytase products.  These performance characteristics include:

• High in vivo activity under gastric conditions for sustained performance
• Improved activity at low substrate concentrations to maximize phytate hydrolysis
• High gastric stability for activity throughout the upper gastrointestinal tract
• High intrinsic thermotolerance and pelleting stability
• Improved bioavailability due to the elimination of the need for thermo protective coatings

"We're excited to bring this new enzyme solution to the market," said Gary Hayen, Global Director Fermentation Products at Novus.  "The partnership with Verenium is allowing us to offer our customers the synergy of cutting-edge enzyme technology and nutrition solutions knowledge which makes CIBENZA^® PHYTAVERSE™ a valuable asset for today's feed industry."

Animal trial results have demonstrated the superior performance characteristics that CIBENZA^® PHYTAVERSE™ provides, based on standard metrics such as weight gain, feed conversion ratios and phosphorus mineralization (tibia ash) versus other available phytase products.  These results indicate that inclusion of CIBENZA^® PHYTAVERSE™ in monogastric diets can provide improved nutrition and economics to the animal feed industry.

"By combining Novus's animal nutrition expertise and extensive industry knowledge with over 15 years of experience in developing high-performance phytase products at Verenium, together we've been able to create a next-generation phytase that exhibits superior performance characteristics over those marketed today," said David Weiner, Vice President of R&D Strategy and Partnerships at Verenium. "These important characteristics allow the animal to more efficiently utilize the phosphorus and other nutrients necessary for improved animal health and nutrition, and can provide producers an increased return on investment."

Novus and Verenium expect to launch this product in certain geographical regions beginning in 2013.

About Novus International, Inc.
Novus International, Inc. is headquartered in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. and serves customers in nearly 100 countries around the world. A global leader in developing animal health and nutrition solutions, Novus's products include ALIMET^® and MHA^® feed supplements, ACTIVATE^® nutritional feed acid, ACIDOMIX^® preservative premixture, ADVENT^® coccidiosis control, CIBENZA^® feed additive, MINTREX^® chelated trace mineral, SANTOQUIN^® feed preservative, MERA™MET aquaculture feed additive, AGRADO^® feed antioxidant and many other specialty ingredients. Stratum® Nutrition, a division of Novus Nutrition Brands, LLC, focuses on human nutrition through specialty and functional ingredients for manufacturers of foods, beverages and dietary supplements (www.stratumnutrition.com). Novus is privately owned by Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. and Nippon Soda Co., Ltd. For more information visit www.novusint.com. ®Novus, ALIMET, MHA, ACTIVATE, ACIDOMIX, CIBENZA, MAAC, MINTREX, SANTOQUIN and AGRADO are trademarks of Novus International, Inc. and are registered in the United States and other countries. ^®ADVENT is a trademark of Viridus Animal Health, LLC, and is registered in the United States and other countries. ^®STRATUM NUTRITION is a trademark of Novus Nutrition Brands, LLC, and is registered in the United States and other countries. ^®PREVIDA is a registered trademark of TIN, Inc. ™MERA and SOLUTIONS SERVICE SUSTAINABILITY are trademarks of Novus International, Inc.© 2013 Novus International, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Verenium
Verenium, an industrial biotechnology company, is a global leader in developing high-performance enzymes.  Verenium's tailored enzymes are environmentally friendly, making products and processes greener and more cost-effective for industries, including the global food and fuel markets.  Read more at www.verenium.com.

Forward-Looking Statements For Verenium
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty.  These include, but are not limited to, statements related to Verenium's technology, products and product candidates (including, in each case, their value, potential for revenue growth and expected near-term and longer term revenue), product pipeline (including the timing for commercial launch of any product candidates), capabilities and commercialization activities.  Such statements are only predictions, and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause or contribute to the differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with Verenium's strategic focus, technologies, products and product candidates and product pipeline (including Verenium's ability to identify, develop and commercialize new products and product candidates, either independently or with collaborators or partners, and market demand for those products and product candidates), dependence on patents and proprietary rights,  protection and enforcement of its patents and proprietary rights, the commercial prospects of the industries in which Verenium operates and sells products, Verenium's dependence on manufacturing and/or license agreements,  its ability to achieve milestones under existing and future collaboration agreements, the ability of Verenium and its partners to commercialize its technologies and products (including by obtaining any required regulatory approvals) using Verenium's technologies, the timing for launching any commercial products and projects, the ability of Verenium and its collaborators to market and sell any products that it or they commercialize, the development or availability of competitive products or technologies, the future ability of Verenium to enter into and/or maintain collaboration and joint venture or partnership agreements and licenses on a timely basis or at all, and risks and other uncertainties more fully described in Verenium's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Verenium's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and any updates contained in its subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Verenium expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Novus Contacts:

Tracy Barfield
636-794-2411
[email protected]

Barbara Hansen
636-926-7436
[email protected]

Verenium Contact:

Sarah Carmody
Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications
858-431-8581
[email protected]

SOURCE Verenium Corporation