EQT Life Sciences co-leads EUR 51 million Series B in Exciva to advance its Alzheimer’s therapy into clinical Phase 2
- Series B financing will support Exciva’s Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead candidate, Deraphan, for agitation associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
- Financing was co-led by EQT Life Sciences out of its LSP Dementia Fund, together with Gimv, with participation from Fountain Healthcare Partners, LifeArc, Carma Fund and Modi Ventures, as well as returning investors Andera Partners and LBBW
- Investment underscores EQT Life Sciences’ commitment to high-impact neuroscience therapeutics, and will support Exciva’s ambition to address a significant unmet need in Alzheimer’s care
EQT Life Sciences is pleased to announce that its LSP Dementia Fund has co-led a EUR 51 million Series B in Exciva (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for behavioral symptoms associated with AD.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation and other behavioral symptoms affect up to 90% of patients with severe AD, driving caregiver burden, healthcare utilization, and reduced quality of life. Despite the scale of the challenge, further compounded by a rapidly aging global population, therapeutic innovation has lagged behind. The Series B will support Exciva’s Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Deraphan, the Company’s lead therapeutic candidate for agitation associated with AD. The trial will be conducted across the EU, United States, and Canada.
Exciva’s approach builds on strong scientific and clinical foundations. Deraphan, a combination of two clinically validated compounds including one new chemical entity, has demonstrated encouraging safety and tolerability in Phase 1 and offers the potential for a differentiated efficacy and safety profile relative to current treatment options, which are often limited by boxed warnings, side effects, or inconsistent outcomes.
François Conquet, CEO of Exciva, said: “We are delighted that we could attract funding from both new and existing investors, supporting our belief that our compound is promising. If the results of the Phase 2 trials are positive, it would be a significant milestone in symptomatic treatment options for patients with AD.”
Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD, Partner at EQT Life Sciences, said: “This investment illustrates the potential of Exciva to bring exciting innovation to a therapeutic area where Alzheimer’s patients have limited or no treatment options. We are delighted to co-lead this financing to help to realize Exciva’s potential, which stands out for both the quality of its science and the expertise of its team. We look forward to bringing this innovation to patients.”
Following the investment, EQT Life Sciences will be represented by Philip Scheltens as a Director and Juliette Lee as an Observer to the Board of the Company.
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About EQT Life Sciences
EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life sciences and healthcare venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for patients. The LSP Dementia Fund (USD 297 million) started in 2020 and has a dedicated team of neurologists and neuroscientists focused on investing in therapeutics targeting neurodegenerative diseases.
For more information, go to https://eqtgroup.com/private-capital/life-sciences/
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. www.exciva.com
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