1. Organization and Description of Business

CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc. (The Company) is focused on developing therapies to treat metabolic diseases with high unmet medical need, including serious rare and orphan disorders. The Company’s two key clinical development candidates are MBX-8025 and arhalofenate. MBX-8025 is currently being developed for the treatment of various orphan lipid and liver diseases. Arhalofenate is being developed for the treatment of gout.

The Company is an emerging growth company. Under the JOBS Act emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time of those standards apply to private companies. The Company has adopted this exemption from new or revised accounting standards, and therefore, it may not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.”

Liquidity

The Company has incurred net operating losses and negative cash flows from operations since its inception. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company incurred a net loss of $15.5 million and used $23.3 million of cash in operations. At December 31, 2015, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $396.3 million. CymaBay expects to incur substantial research and development expenses as it continues to study its product candidates in clinical trials. To date, none of the Company’s product candidates have been approved for marketing and sale, and the Company has not recorded any revenue from product sales. As a result, management expects operating losses to continue in future years. The Company’s ability to achieve profitability is dependent primarily on its ability to successfully develop, acquire or in-license additional product candidates, continue clinical trials for product candidates currently in clinical development, obtain regulatory approvals, and support commercialization activities for partnered product candidates. Products developed by the Company will require approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or a foreign regulatory authority prior to commercial sale. The regulatory approval process is expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain, and any denial or delay of approval could have a material adverse effect on the Company. Even if approved, the Company’s products may not achieve market acceptance and will face competition from both generic and branded pharmaceutical products.

As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $41.5 million. These funds are expected to satisfy the Company’s liquidity requirements through at least the next 12 months. The Company expects to incur substantial expenditures in the future for the development and potential commercialization of its product candidates. Because of this, the Company expects its future liquidity and capital resource needs will be impacted by numerous factors, including but not limited to, the timing of initiation of planned clinical trials, including phase 2 trials to study the therapeutic benefits of MBX-8025 on patients with certain orphan diseases as well as a phase 3 clinical trial to study the therapeutic benefits of arhalofenate on patients with gout. The Company will therefore continue to require additional financing to develop its products and fund future operating losses and will seek funds through equity financings, debt, collaborative or other arrangements with corporate sources, or through other sources of financing. It is unclear if or when any such financing transactions will occur, on satisfactory terms or at all. The Company’s failure to raise capital as and when needed could have a negative impact on its financial condition and its ability to pursue its business strategies. If adequate funds are not available, the Company may be required to reduce current development activities or to close its business which could have an adverse impact on its ability to achieve its business objectives.