The Anatara Lifesciences Ltd (ASX: ANR) share price is one of the best performers on the ASX today. This comes after the company announced it has secured an Australian patent for its animal health product, Detach and provided an update on its piglet challenge study.

At the time of writing, the life sciences company's shares are swapping hands for 21.5 cents, up 19.4%.

New patent grant

Anatara shares are pushing higher after investors appear pleased with the company's latest progress.

According to its release, Anatara advised it has been granted a patent to add to its portfolio. Approved by IP Australia, the patent will seek to protect Anatara's intellectual property, and provide a pathway for future commercialisation.

The new patent is titled, 'Anti-diarrhea formulation which avoids antimicrobial resistance' (patent number AU2019204496).

Anatara stated that its product, Detach uses the patent as a non-antibiotic solution to assist in controlling diarrheal disease. The patent covers using bromelain, an extract from pineapple stems, as a way to treat and prevent diarrhea caused by pathogenic microbes. However, the company noted that the new formulation does not kill pathogenic microbes.

The AU2019204496 patent is wholly-owned by Anatara, and is set to expire on 24 August 2038.

Anatara CEO, Steven Lydeamore commented:

The granting of the patent secures our intellectual property position and is a significant milestone towards commercialising our Detach animal health product. Scour in piglets is an expensive, debilitating and in some cases, life-threatening condition, and having a product that is registered for use in Australia, we are well placed to leverage our patent as we work towards a commercial deal.

Piglet challenge study commences

In further news boosting Anatara shares, the company revealed that its BONIFF-SMEC (bromelain-based formulation) (semi-moist extruded creep) study has begun. The project aims to test the formulated feed additive on piglets under an enterotoxigenic E. coli model. Anatara will closely evaluate the efficacy of the modified additive on piglet health, welfare, and performance after weaning.

The study is being conducted in partnership with Ridley Corporation, and is expected to be completed in June 2021.

Lydeamore commented:

Having focused our efforts on research and development over a number of years, we have developed a strong animal health pipeline and I look forward to providing the market with an update on the commercial significance of both the pig and poultry challenge trials in the coming months.

Anatara share price review

Over the past 12 months, the Anatara share price has gained over 20%, with year-to-date jumping 26%. The company's shares reached a 52-week high of 28 cents during the middle of last year, before treading lower.

The post Why the Anatara (ASX:ANR) share price is rocketing 19% today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The falling Australian Dollar and strengthening of other major currencies has a knock on effect for a range of sectors from tourism to mining.

But with Australian assets now cheaper to overseas companies, and interest rates still at record lows, meaning that debt is easy to obtain and cash reserves aren't earning acceptable interest, there are a range of stocks that could be of interest to foreign predators.

So which businesses could soon have potential buyers knocking on the door, and why?

Mortgage Choice Limited (ASX: MOC) is a prime candidate for a full takeover due to the presence of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) on its register.

The nation's largest bank owns around 16% of issued stock of this national mortgage broker. With growth harder to come by, Commonwealth may be tempted to internalise Mortgage Choice. Benefits could include cost savings through the increased synergies between the two brands, as well as the roughly 8% yield that Mortgage Choice offers. On the other hand, Commonwealth Bank could also be a willing seller to an overseas buyer, as divesting the stake would deliver a substantial cash windfall and allow it to redirect the funds towards more core operations.

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX: TWE) is not as cheap as it was a year ago, but it could still be a good takeover target. Factors in favour are the previous attractiveness of the business to a host of suitors, as well the well-established brand portfolio.

The portfolio of premium brands is one of the major attractions of Treasury to any purchaser, as the premium positioning of a label like Penfolds is difficult to replicate, which gives it substantial value.

Challenger Ltd (ASX: CGF) is a leading provider of annuity products to Australia's burgeoning superannuation sector. Australian financial services firms are hugely attractive to overseas acquirers due to our high purchasing power as a nation and the stable nature of our economy, which underpins future cash flows.

Japanese and European financial services firms, in particular, struggling for growth options in their home markets would likely view Challenger as a high-quality business with majority market share, favourable industry dynamics and strong tailwinds behind it.

Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC) is a company that has previously been the target of a takeover attempt, with American giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) a prospective buyer in 2013.

At the time, Joe Hockey, as Federal Treasurer, denied the takeover as contrary to the national interest. However, the fact the company does not own monopoly assets, as well as a change in leadership in recent weeks at the Federal level fuelled speculation that ADM, which is still a substantial shareholder, could be poised to come knocking again.

Anatara Lifesciences Ltd (ASX: ANR) is tiny compared to the other stocks on this list, but may have just as much appeal to a global company as the others. The reason is that Anatara has a proven method of reducing mortality and weight loss in pigs through a therapy called Detach. The drug has been proven to greatly reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in field trials.

The point of difference for Detach is that it is a non-antibiotic treatment, with its active ingredient sourced from pineapples. This is crucial at a time when the World Health Organisation is calling for an urgent reduction in the use of antibiotics, as resistance to our strongest drugs grows and puts lives at risk.

The effectiveness of Detach has been proven in pigs and could extend to poultry, other livestock and even humans. It would not be a huge stretch to see a large global pharmaceutical company using a tiny part of its multi-billion dollar research and development budget to buy Anatara and its patents with a view to accelerating the research and development of the treatment.

If you are able to identify and buy a company that is an attractive takeover target, the financial rewards can be substantial. Any of the companies on this list are worthy of further research, however, Graincorp and Anatara look to be the most likely to have potential acquirers circling in the near future.

The post 5 multi-million dollar takeover targets appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Like many value investors, I've always had the opinion that it wasn't really possible to "invest" in early stage pharmaceutical companies. The lack of a proven product, the time consuming trial stages, the convoluted regulatory approval process and the lack of up front profits, or even revenue, meant that there was always a better option.

But I've recently had my opinion changed by Anatara Lifesciences Ltd (ASX: ANR) for the following reasons.

First of all, Anatara is currently a single product company, pursuing the commercialisation of its Detach product. The drug is formulated to use pineapple extract and other antibiotic free ingredients to reduce the incidence of death and weight loss of piglets due to gastrointestinal problems.

While it many not be glamorous, this means that the addressable market is huge, as pork is the most widely consumed meat on the planet with 1.6 billion piglets weaned every year.

Now for the really interesting parts.

Proven History

Detach is actually a drug that was developed in the 1990s for this exact purpose, and was very successful in the Australian market capturing 40% market share. However, corporate takeovers meant that Detach was eventually removed from production, as the acquiring company chose to focus on drugs for humans.

Anatara has the creator of Detach, Dr Tracey Mynott, on board as chief scientific officer. It has recently concluded a large scale Australian trial that showed that the drug reduced piglet mortality by over 40%, while improving weight gain by up to 12%.

Simple Economics

At a product level, the economics underpinning Detach and Anatara are simple. The use of Detach will allow more piglets to survive and put on more weight, which will lead to better returns on investment for farmers, meaning there will be a rapid adoption of the product in the market.

Solution to a Global Problem

The issue of antibiotic resistance creating antibiotic immune bacteria is a serious global problem with the World Health Organisation alarmed at the rise of these superbugs. Farm animals being exposed to a large quantity of antibiotics means antibiotic resistance is built in the food chain.

McDonalds became the most recent global company to respond to this threat, saying it will sell only antibiotic-free chicken in the next two years, showing a clear demand for a natural antibiotic free product like Detach.

Future Development

The problem of weight loss and death through intestinal problems is not just confined to piglets. Anatara's development pathway could include expansions into treatments for other farm animals, and eventually, humans.

Anatara has in its favour a simple, proven product, an experienced management team including the inventor of the drug, vast potential global demand and a patent protected competitive advantage.

That is the reason why I have made an exception to my rule and invested in Anatara Lifesciences, and I suspect many others investors will too as the tailwinds behind the company become better known.

The post Ham and pineapple could make Anatara Lifesciences Ltd the next CSL Limited  appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Over the past month, the ASX has gone virtually nowhere, with the All Ordinaries (INDEXASX: XAO) (ASX: XAO) down 0.4% and the S&P/ASX 200 (INDEXASX: XJO) (ASX: XJO) up 0.5%.

But that doesn't mean all stocks listed on the Australian Stock Exchange have gone nowhere. In fact, 10 companies have seen their share prices soar by more than 50%, and 4 of these have more than doubled.

Cynata Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: CYP) has leapt 228% since early February to $1.18. The stem cell research company achieved a major breakthrough, achieving commercial-scale manufacture of stem cell products. As you can well imagine, that has major implications if Cynata can go on and commercialise its technology.

AtCor Medical Holdings Limited (ASX: ACG) is up 120% to 21 cents. AtCor received Category 1 approval for its SphygmoCor blood pressure system in the US. Colleague Brendon Lau covered the news in more detail here.

Cyclopharm Limited (ASX: CYC) jumped 116.9% to 64 cents, after reporting record sales of $12 million and an record net profit of $4m – although that included a $2.65 million legal settlement. Cyclopharm is a nuclear medicine company, with products including Technegas for lung imaging. Has the company turned the corner like CEO James McBrayer thinks it has?

Cokal Ltd (ASX: CKA) has seen its shares soar 128.6% to 10 cents, despite the company being a coal explorer. In late February, Cokal received construction and operational approval for its Bumi Barito Mineral (BBM) Project port facilities in Indonesia. BBM is expected to produce a premium coking coal over a period of more than 15 years.

TNG Limited (ASX: TNG) has gained 77.8% to trade around 17 cents currently. TNG is focused on developing its flagship Mount Peak Vanadium-Titanium-Iron project near Alice Springs, which the company says can deliver revenues of $13.6 billion. Yesterday TNG signed an offtake agreement with Korean metals group WOOJIN IND. Co. for up to 60% of forecast production.

Aeris Environmental Ltd (ASX: AEI) shares have climbed 50.7% to trade around 51 cents currently. Aeris is an expert in the removal of bacteria and mould that naturally builds up in air-conditioning, cold storage and bulk water systems and then protects the asset from further recontamination. Aeris recently reported strong growth in purchase orders and potential pipeline of large scale projects.

1-Page Limited (ASX: 1PG) has jumped 66.7% to $1.65 after the company signed a number of major deals, including giant US retailer Amazon for its 1-Page sourcing and referral engine. 1-Page offers companies a new way to hire prospective employees.

Joyce Corporation Ltd (ASX: JYC) has gained 50.8% to trade at 95 cents. The company owns a chain of bedding stores under the BedShed brand. Joyce recently sold a property for $25 million, and the board is considering a suitable return to shareholders of the settlement proceeds, expected to be a franked special dividend of 5 cents per share each year for the next three years. Joyce is forecast to pay 10.5 cents in total this year.

Anatarra Lifesciences Ltd (ASX: ANR) is up 57.6% to 52 cents. Anatarra develops non-antibiotic solutions for gastrointestinal diseases in animals and humans, and recently reported a successful trial on a pig farm of its Detach product. Anatarra is now focused on registering Detach in Europe and the USA, and hopes to launch Detach in 2016 in Australia.

Last but not least is Digital CC Ltd (ASX: DCC) which is up 66.7% to 14 cents. The company is a digital payments company – the first bitcoin focused company listed on a major exchange. Bitcoin is a digital currency that is usually in the news for the wrong reasons, and there's no guarantee that Bitcoin will be successful.

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