Exciva

What Exciva does

Exciva GmbH is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany. The company focuses on developing therapeutics for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, with lead candidate Deraphan (EXV-802) targeting agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's disease dementia. Exciva frames its approach around a non-dopaminergic, dual-mechanism strategy: Deraphan combines dextromethorphan, an NMDA receptor channel blocker, with the proprietary agent EXV-801, a CYP2D6 inhibitor and 5-HT2A/2C receptor inverse agonist, intended to address multiple co-occurring neuropsychiatric symptoms (agitation, aggression, hallucinations, delusions, depression, apathy, insomnia) without accelerating cognitive decline. The company is currently running the SERENADA Phase 2/3 study of Deraphan at up to 60 sites across the US, UK, Canada, and Europe, targeting approximately 300 patients, with first patient dosed in April 2026.

The underlying technology is a fixed-dose combination of two clinically validated small-molecule mechanisms rather than a platform architecture, protected by a US composition-of-matter patent granted in October 2022 and supported by FDA Fast Track designation granted in November 2024. Exciva has a small leadership team of approximately 9 named members and a Scientific Advisory Board featuring globally recognized Alzheimer's researchers (Cummings, Ballard, Lyketsos, Lanctôt, Aarsland, Mintzer, Scheltens), with Mark Altmeyer appointed Chairman in May 2026.

Exciva is pre-revenue with no marketed product. Its business model is a clinical-development model funded by venture capital: cumulative disclosed funding of approximately €62 million across a €9M Series A (Andera Partners, October 2021), a €51M Series B (Gimv and EQT Life Sciences co-led, January 2026), and a €2M Series B extension (Dolby Family Ventures, April 2026). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and will be set at commercialization. The go-to-market is explicitly oriented toward licensing, partnership, or acquisition by a large pharmaceutical company, supported by event-driven communications around clinical milestones, regulatory designations, and high-impact scientific publications.

Name

Exciva

Legal name

Exciva GmbH

Website

https://exciva.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Exciva GmbH is a Heidelberg-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing Deraphan (EXV-802), a dextromethorphan and 5-HT2A/2C inverse agonist combination therapy for agitation and neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease dementia, currently in a multi-region Phase 2/3 SERENADA trial.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical-Stage Biopharmaceuticals — Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology (Dementia/Memory Disorders) (HLAKAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alzheimer’s Specialized Care (Mid/Late-Stage) (HSABAEAC), Pharmacogenomics-Informed Medication Optimization Support (HSABALAO)

Keywords

• Alzheimer's therapeutics
• Neuropsychiatric drug development
• Clinical stage biopharmaceutical
• Dementia agitation treatment
• Combination therapy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Heidelberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Pre-revenue clinical development: Exciva is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with no marketed products. The product (Deraphan / EXV-802) is in a Phase 2/3 study, so the company currently generates no commercial product revenue. Capital is sourced through private equity financing rounds rather than product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Exciva is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing Deraphan (EXV-802), a fixed-dose combination of dextromethorphan (NMDA receptor channel blocker) and EXV-801 (a CYP2D6 inhibitor and 5-HT2A/2C receptor inverse agonist), to treat agitation/aggression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease dementia without dopaminergic activity. The product is currently being evaluated in the SERENADA Phase 2/3 study (up to 60 sites in the US, UK, Canada and Europe, targeting 300 patients), with US FDA Fast Track designation granted in November 2024.

Product overview

Exciva is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company (established in 2016 in Heidelberg, Germany) built around a single integrated therapeutic program rather than a multi-product platform. Its portfolio centers on the lead investigational product Deraphan (EXV-802) — a fixed-dose combination of dextromethorphan (an NMDA receptor channel blocker) with the proprietary agent EXV-801 (a CYP2D6 inhibitor and 5-HT2A/2C receptor inverse agonist) — which is being evaluated in the SERENADA Phase 2/3 study for agitation in Alzheimer's disease dementia. EXV-801 functions as the differentiated combination component that complements dextromethorphan within Deraphan, and the SERENADA study is the clinical vehicle through which the company advances this single core program toward regulatory approval.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deraphan: Exciva's lead product candidate — a combination therapy of dextromethorphan and a 5-HT2A/2C receptor inverse agonist (EXV-801) — for treating agitation in Alzheimer's disease patients.

Products and services

• Deraphan (EXV-802) Exciva's lead clinical-stage combination therapy combining dextromethorphan (an NMDA receptor channel blocker) with EXV-801 (a CYP2D6 inhibitor and 5-HT2A/2C receptor inverse agonist) to treat agitation/aggression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease dementia without affecting the dopaminergic system. Currently being evaluated in the SERENADA Phase 2/3 study in patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia. US FDA Fast Track designation was granted in November 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% of patients with severe Alzheimer's disease are affected by neuropsychiatric symptoms — the addressable patient population targeted by Deraphan.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mark Altmeyerstrategic governance leaderOthers · 12 May 2026Distinguished biopharma leader appointed Chairman of the Board in May 2026, underscoring Exciva's ambition to advance Deraphan through late-stage development and global expansion.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Acadia Pharmaceuticals: Acadia's Nuplazid (pimavanserin) is approved for dementia-related psychosis and is closely aligned with Exciva's 5-HT2A inverse-agonism mechanism; both companies compete for the same neuropsychiatric-symptom-of-dementia prescribing population.
• Axsome Therapeutics: Axsome's Auvelity (dextromethorphan/bupropion) is the closest direct comparator: another dextromethorphan-based combination approved and being studied for Alzheimer's disease agitation, targeting the same NPS patient population with a similar NMDA-receptor mechanism.

Emerging players

• Newron Pharmaceuticals: Newron develops Evenamide for schizophrenia and other CNS indications via European-headquartered clinical operations; comparable as a small European clinical-stage neuropsychiatry biotech with similar funding profile and regulatory exposure.
• Alzheon: Alzheon is a clinical-stage biotech developing ALZ-801 for early Alzheimer's disease; comparable as a similarly sized, privately held clinical-stage CNS company pursuing differentiated AD mechanisms.
• BioXcel Therapeutics: BXCL501 (dexmedetomidine sublingual) is being studied for acute agitation in dementia and Alzheimer's patients, making BioXcel a peer in the agitation-in-dementia clinical development space.
• Cerevel Therapeutics (a Pfizer company): Cerevel develops CNS therapies targeting serotonergic and dopaminergic mechanisms; its pipeline breadth in neuropsychiatry makes it a comparable emerging CNS drug developer with similar mechanistic strategies.

Broad incumbents

• Otsuka Pharmaceutical (with Lundbeck): Otsuka/Lundbeck's Rexulti (brexpiprazole) is FDA-approved for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, representing the incumbent therapy Exciva's Deraphan would compete against in the same agitation indication.
• Boehringer Ingelheim: A major German-headquartered biopharma with established CNS and dementia pipelines and is a natural potential strategic acquirer/partner for Heidelberg-based Exciva given geographic and therapeutic overlap.
• Lundbeck: Lundbeck is a Danish CNS-focused pharma with a portfolio spanning dementia, psychosis, and agitation therapies (including co-promotion of Rexulti); it is a comparable broad incumbent and a likely BD counterpart for Exciva.
• Karuna Therapeutics (a Bristol Myers Squibb company): KarXT (xanomeline-trospium) was developed for neuropsychiatric conditions; although its primary indication is schizophrenia, it represents an established CNS combination-drug development blueprint comparable to Exciva's EXV-802 approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exciva

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Exciva