Strategic appointment underscores Exciva’s ambition to advance Deraphan, its lead product to treat agitation in Alzheimer’s patients, through late-stage development and global expansion
Heidelberg, Germany, May 12, 2026 – Exciva GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions, today announces the appointment of Mark Altmeyer as chairman of its board
of directors.
Mark Altmeyer is a biopharmaceutical executive and board leader with over 35 years of experience in commercialization strategy, M&A and international expansion. Since 2014, he has served on the board of ten biopharmaceutical firms across the US, Europe and Japan, including as chairperson of several high-growth biotech companies. His executive roles include president and CEO of clinical-stage companies focused on fibrosis, inflammation, CNS disorders and other neurological therapeutic areas. Key
accomplishments include serving as founder and CEO of Arvelle Therapeutics, where, within two years he led the company’s transatlantic build-out, secured $200 million in financing and successfully completed its $1 billion acquisition by Angelini Pharma.
Throughout his career, Altmeyer has delivered growth and enterprise value across diverse therapeutic areas and business models, from primary care and specialty pharma to rare diseases and hospital-driven markets, by building high-performing teams and aligning investors and management around clear value-creation priorities.
In addition to his executive experience, Altmeyer brings extensive board-level leadership across the biotech lifecycle, from early-stage development through to late-stage growth and exit.
“Mark’s appointment as chairman marks a pivotal moment in Exciva’s development. As we advance Deraphan into its Phase 2 trial, his unparalleled experience in commercialization and international expansion provides exactly the strategic guidance we
need,” said François Conquet, CEO of Exciva. “His track record in aligning investors and management to drive enterprise value will help us push our symptomatic treatment option for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).”
Deraphan is Exciva’s lead candidate for treating agitation in patients with AD. It is the combination of two clinically validated products, including one novel chemical entity (NCE), which have demonstrated activity in the CNS field, with the potential to offer better efficacy and risk/benefit ratio compared to existing therapies. The clinical trial is being conducted in the UK, US, Canada and Europe. A Phase 1 trial with Deraphan has been successfully completed and showed that the combination is safe and well-tolerated.
“I’m excited to join Exciva at such an important inflection point. The company’s innovative approach to addressing neuropsychiatric conditions, particularly with Deraphan’s potential to improve outcomes for AD patients experiencing agitation, represents a genuine unmet medical need,” said Mark Altmeyer. “I look forward to working alongside François and the entire team to accelerate clinical development and bring these therapies to patients globally.”
This appointment follows the company’s recent closing of a €53 million ($62M) Series B financing round led by Gimv and EQT Life Sciences. Currently on its board of directors are Raphaël Wisniewski (Andera Partners), Philip Scheltens (EQT Life Sciences), Christoph Kocher (Gimv), Aidan King (Fountain Healthcare), Vikram Sudarsan (independent board member) and François Conquet (CEO).
About Exciva
Exciva is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 2016 by Drs. Anton Bespalov, Hans Moebius and Rao Vepachedu to address neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD dementia and other brain disorders. It uses its powerful discovery potential, which has led to the
combination of two CNS-active compounds, to treat agitation in patients living with AD dementia. Exciva is based in Heidelberg, Germany.
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Saffiyah Khalique / Juliette Schmitt
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SERENADA trial to run at up to 60 sites across US, UK, Canada and Europe, targeting 300 patients
Exciva brings Series B round to €53M, with Dolby Ventures joining investor pool, and strengthens management with appointment of seasoned COO
Heidelberg, Germany, April 28, 2026 – Exciva GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions, today announces the dosing of the first patient at Esperanza Clinical in Murrieta, CA, USA, in the Phase 2/3 SERENADA trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Deraphan in the treatment of agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia.
“We are proud to announce the dosing of the first patient in SERENADA. We are thankful to Dr. Michael Ropacki and the team at Esperanza Clinical for their role in supporting us in developing new treatment options for patients with AD dementia. With its promising therapeutic potential, it could pave the way to treating agitation in other neuropsychiatric disorders,” said François Conquet, CEO of Exciva. “We are equally delighted to welcome Dolby Ventures as a new investor. This growing support reflects the strong confidence in Exciva’s clinical strategy to treat the neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD.”
The behavioral and psychological symptoms of AD dementia can be severe and demanding on caregivers. These include agitation, aggression, sleep disorders, irritability, depression, anxiety and hallucinations. Currently, there are few treatment options available for agitation in patients with AD.
Exciva’s approach in avoiding the dopaminergic system offers the potential to treat agitation without increasing the risk of cognitive decline, morbidity or mortality. If proven effective, Deraphan could become a novel and valuable option in improving the quality of life for patients living with AD.
Deraphan is the combination of two clinically validated products: dextromethorphan, an NMDA receptor channel blocker, and Deramciclane, a triple-acting agent that is a CYP2D6 inhibitor and a 5-HT2A/2C receptor inverse agonist. This combination is designed to deliver a broad and synergistic treatment targeting various neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia, including agitation. Exciva has previously completed a Phase 1 trial of Deraphan, demonstrating that the combination was safe and well-tolerated.
In parallel to the trial launch, Dolby Ventures joins as a new investor, bringing Exciva’s Series B round to a total of €53M ($62M).
“Exciva’s approach to targeting neuropsychiatric symptoms, in particular agitation in Alzheimer’s patients, addresses a critical unmet need in Alzheimer’s care,” said Reetika Bhardwaj, principal at Dolby Ventures. “Our investment in Exciva underscores our commitment to advancing therapeutic treatments in neurodegenerative diseases, which have profound societal and economic implications, and providing support for AD patients and carers worldwide.”
Dolby Family Ventures, based in San Francisco (CA), is an early-stage venture capital fund launched in 2014 to honor the legacy of Ray Dolby, philanthropist and founder of Dolby laboratories. It invests in startups specializing in frontier technology that tackle major problems in the life sciences, such as neurodegeneration.
Lastly, Exciva is thrilled to announce the appointment of Nadine Knowles as chief operating officer, further strengthening the executive team. Ms. Knowles brings over 30 years of experience in clinical leadership, with a strong track record of driving strategic initiatives and delivering complex global Phase 1-4 clinical trials and regulatory submissions across rare disease, oncology, CNS (Central Nervous Systems), and anti-infective programs during her time at Avanir (acquired by Otsuka) and Longboard (acquired by Lundbeck).
About the SERENADA Trial
The SERENADA trial (NCT07284472) will enroll approximately 100 patients per treatment arm, around 300 participants in total, at as many as 60 centers across the US, UK, Canada and Europe. Deraphan-treated patients will be compared to a placebo group in a six-week treatment course. The trial will observe behaviors such as restlessness, verbal outbursts, resistance to care or physical aggression as signs of agitation. The objective of the study is to demonstrate that Deraphan, compared to placebo, reduces agitation in AD patients.
Participants will be selected based on a diagnosis of agitation according to its consensus definition in patients with cognitive disorders as developed by the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) Agitation Definition Working Group, which must include excessive motor activity, verbal and/or physical aggression. In addition, participants will have a confirmed AD diagnosis proven by a blood biomarker test, such as a plasma-based p-Tau217 assay. Exciva expects to report the outcome of the study in the first half of 2029.
About Exciva
Exciva is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 2016 by Drs. Anton Bespalov, Hans Moebius and Rao Vepachedu to address neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia and other brain disorders. Exciva uses its powerful discovery potential, which has already led to the combination of two CNS-active compounds, to treat agitation in patients living with AD dementia. Exciva is based in Heidelberg, Germany.
Media and analysts contact
Andrew Lloyd & Associates
Saffiyah Khalique / Juliette Schmitt
UK : +44 1273 952 481
US : +1 203 724 5950
Heidelberg, Germany, January 20, 2026 – Exciva GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions, today announces the closing of a €51 million ($59m) Series B financing round. Gimv and EQT Life Sciences co-led the round. Additional participants included new investors Fountain Healthcare Partners, LifeArc Ventures, Carma Fund and Modi Ventures, as well as existing investors Andera Partners and LBBW.
The proceeds will primarily fund a phase 2 study evaluating Deraphan’s therapeutic potential for treating agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Deraphan is the combination of two clinically validated products, including one novel chemical entity (NCE), which have demonstrated activity in the CNS field, with the potential to offer better efficacy and risk/benefit ratio than existing therapies. The clinical trial will be conducted in Europe, the UK, the US and Canada. A phase 1 trial with Deraphan has been successfully completed and showed that the combination is safe and well-tolerated.
Following the Series B, the board of directors will be composed of Raphaël Wisniewski (Andera Partners), Philip Scheltens (EQT Life Sciences), Andreas Jurgeit (Gimv), Aidan King (Fountain Healthcare), Vikram Sudarsan (independent Board member) and François Conquet (CEO).
“We are delighted that we could attract funding from both existing and new investors. This confirms that our product is highly promising,” said François Conquet, CEO of Exciva. “If the results of the phase 2 trial are positive, it will be a significant step forward in symptomatic treatment options for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”
“Exciva’s therapy for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease is highly differentiated, addressing significant shortcomings in the current standard of care and other products under development,” said Andreas Jurgeit, PhD, partner at Gimv. “We are pleased to collaborate with the Exciva team – backed by decades of expertise in neuropsychiatry drug development, including approved therapies – to transform care for this challenging aspect of dementia.”
“This investment illustrates the potential of Exciva to bring an exciting innovation into a therapeutic area where Alzheimer’s patients have limited or no treatment options,” added Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD, partner at EQT Life Sciences. “We are delighted to co-lead this financing to realize Exciva’s potential, which stands out for both the quality of its science and the expertise of the team. We look forward to bringing this new therapy to patients.” Julia Braun and her team at Baker McKenzie provided legal advice on the financing to the new investors.
About agitation in Alzheimer’s disease
The behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia can be severe and demanding on caregivers. These include agitation, aggression, sleep disorders, irritability, depression, anxiety and hallucinations. The prevalence of AD, and its associated behavioral and psychological symptoms, is growing in aging societies. If nothing is done in the meantime, the global dementia population is projected to grow from ~50 million today to over 150 million by 20501. Agitation is highly prevalent in and persistently associated with patients with AD. Epidemiological studies have revealed that, on average, about 40% of AD patient admissions reported agitation2. It is estimated that more than 70% of people with AD dementia develop agitation at some point during the illness34. As of today, only a few drugs are available to treat these symptoms; many carry significant side effects and boxed warnings, limiting their use.
About Exciva
Exciva is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 2016 by Drs. Anton Bespalov, Hans Moebius and Rao Vepachedu to address neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease dementia and other brain disorders. Exciva uses its powerful discovery potential, which has led to the combination of two CNS-active compounds to treat agitation in patients living with Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Exciva is based in Heidelberg, Germany.