To start with another obvious disclaimer: I own shares in NTVA / NXEN, but I have not been compensated in any way, shape, or form to write this blog, Tweet, or “promote” in any way. As always, I’m writing a blog to relay the things I saw that made me want to buy and hold for (hopefully) big gains — supplying you with the links to click to see it for yourself. Please, don’t just take my word for it. You must be accountable for your own investment decisions. This blog was updated on 10/18/18 to reflect the new ticker symbol and company name.
Nexien BioPharma (OTC QB: NXEN) has 200,000,000 Authorized Shares and 43,880,896 Outstanding. The float, as of the effective S-1 filing on June 28, 2018 was only 2,710,691. That’s a very, very small float. As of July 27, 2018, NXEN (formerly NTVA) has a Market Cap of only $16.6 million (at 38¢). You can check out OTCmarkets.com for more information.
First, INTIVA BioPharma has a nice management and director line-up:
- Alain Bankier / CEO, Chief Strategist – If you simply Google his name, you’ll see he’s been a part of various Cannabis industry events — like Canna Tech, Cannabis Learn Conference & Expo, and the Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition in New York. You can watch/listen to an interview he did with PotBotics. Alan Brochstein from New Cannabis Ventures wrote an article in January 2017 where it started with, “Well-known cannabis investor”. It goes on to talk about his involvement (co-founder) with New York Angels, which has more than $100 million invested in more than 200 ventures. He’s the Co-Founder and Managing Director of VS Tech Ventures, which was “created as an innovative program providing legal cannabis companies access to leading professional service providers, to help entrepreneurs build their businesses, in a cash efficient fashion and to help accelerate company traction, while continually increasing shareholder value”. Mr. Bankier is also an Advisor to New Frontier Data, whose “mission is to elevate the discussion around the legal cannabis industry globally by providing unbiased vetted information and educating stakeholders to make informed decisions.” Mr. Bankier owns more than 2.25 million shares of NTVA, according to the S-1 filed/amended on June 19, 2018.
- Kevin McGovern / Advisor, Director – Mr. McGovern was a founder of SoBe Beverages, which most of you should recognize — they sold to PepsiCo in 2000 to $370 million. Mr. McGovern is the Chairman & CEO of McGovern Capital, which even lists the Intiva logo on their website under Investments. On the McGovern Capital website it mentions that Kevin has co-founded (through McGovern Capital and its affiliates) more than 25 companies — 6 of which have become world/category leaders! “McGovern Capital, LLC” owns 751,113 shares of NTVA, according to the S-1 filed/amended on June 19, 2018.
- Lindy Snider / Advisor, Director – Ms. Snider is the Founder and CEO of ‘Lindi Skin’, which is Specialty Skin Care for Cancer Patients. Watch her interview with PotBotics, as she discusses Cannabis investments. Ms. Snider is a dedicated philanthropist and she is an active board member of many non-profit organizations: Fox Chase Cancer Foundation, Cancer Forward, The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, The Snider Foundation, to name a few. Lindy is the daughter of the late Ed Snider, the owner of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, who had a net worth of $2.5 billion according to CelebrityNetWorth.com. Ms. Snider is also a Director of Kanativa, a privately-held Canadian corporation which is involved with Alexa’s Botanicals — who has a line of CBD products. Lindy was said to have 440,000 shares as of the S-1 filing.
I would keep going, but I don’t want to lose your interest. Seriously, though, check out their website to see the various Medical experts (MD and Ph.D’s) they have onboard.
Beyond the successful people that are running the show, it’s important to point out that NTVA does not “touch the plant,” or any derivatives of the plant. They are proceeding with its research and development activities using U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved protocols, using the synthetic cannabinoid molecules, Dronabinol and Marinol.
NTVA’s drug development strategy consists of:
- The acute treatment during exposure to organophosphorus nerve agents, including sarin gas. (This could be a big deal for the Middle East, where we hear about ‘Chemical Warfare‘ more commonly. Most recently in Syria.)
- The treatment of various symptoms related to myotonic and muscular diseases such as dystrophia diseases.
- The treatment of various symptoms related to lipidosis, which are genetic disorders which are characterized by defects of the digestive system that impair the way the body uses dietary fat.
- The treatment of various symptoms related to lipofuscinosis, in particular neural ceroid lipofuscinosis and macular degeneration associated with lipofuscinosis, which is any disorder associated with the abnormal storage of lipofuscins. Lipofuscins is a yellow to brownish pigment granule found in the muscle, heart, liver, kidney, adrenal, retina and nerve cells undergoing slow regressive changes and accumulating in lysosomes with age.
- The treatment of restless legs syndrome. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) otherwise known as Willis-Ekbom Disease and Wittmaack-Ekbom Syndrome is a term used to describe a neurological sensory disorder that also interferes with sleep and is thus also considered a sleep disorder. RLS may affect up to 8% of the population, according to Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation.
- Sexual health affecting both males and females. Male sexual health issues or dysfunction issues include male erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disorders, such as premature ejaculation, anorgasmia (inability to achieve orgasm) and desire disorders such as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (lack of interest in sex). Female sexual health issues or dysfunction issues can be defined as the difficulty or inability of a woman to find satisfaction in sexual expression.
To catch you up to speed on what was announced in the last month:
- On June 28, 2018, NTVA announced it has filed a utility patent application with the US Patent Office “relating to the use of cannabinoids to treat myotonia, myotonic dystrophy and other related dystrophies”.
- On July 12, 2018, NTVA announced Germany-based Dr. Benedikt Schoser as an Advisor. Dr. Schoser is said to be one of the world’s top researchers in both molecular mechanisms of muscle loss and myotonic dystrophy.
- On July 19, 2018, NTVA was upgraded to the OTC QB Venture Market, which the company said “is a reflection of our ongoing objective to provide additional visibility and credibility to the investment community, as we continue to build INTIVA BioPharma to advance the science of cannabinoid-based and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-compliant medicine.”
- On July 27, 2018, the company filed an 8-K to inform shareholders they’ve extended their 50¢ Class C Warrants to August 8, 2018 and also gave them the option to exchange their Class C Warrants for Class D Warrants at $1.00 by September 28, 2018. Those who exercise Class D Warrants at $1.00 are then eligible to purchase stock at $2.00 per share through January 31, 2019.
This is obviously pure hope and speculation, but I hope this is a sign the company feels the stock price will be beyond 50¢ by August 8, 2018 and beyond $1.00 by mid-September. Otherwise, nobody is going to exercise these Warrants. I hope they’re right because $2.00+ by January 2019 would be pretty sweet. I’m not going to lie, I may very well sell a small portion in that PPS zone.
If you’re wondering, “Why did they drop from $4.00 to $0.38 in the last month?” NTVA did a reverse merger with $KDRH and then a reverse split. There was such a tiny amount of shares (247,225 to be exact) available prior to the 2,463,466 that were registered via the S-1 on June 28, 2018. You can look NASDAQ’s Historical Stock Price site to verify the volume and share price on each day. It wasn’t until July 10, 2018 that NTVA finally saw some volume from the newly unrestricted shares. That’s also the day the share price went from $3.44 to $1.55 before closing at $2.00. As time went on and more shares were moved from Transfer Agent to Brokers, the volume got higher and the price dropped to a more realistic figure in terms of Market Cap.
So, there you have it. Decide for yourself if NTVA is something you want to invest in / swing trade.