CymaBay Therapeutics

About:

CymaBay Therapeutics is focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary new medicines for critical human diseases.

Website: http://www.cymabay.com

Top Investors: Novo Holdings, Venrock, T. Rowe Price, Silicon Valley Bank, Versant Ventures

Description:

CymaBay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary new medicines for important human diseases. We are committed to developing breakthrough medicines that improve the lives of patients and their families. CymaBay was seeded with the assets from an earlier metabolic disease company in which more than $120M was invested to produce a robust pipeline. Arhalofenate is a novel oral small molecule being developed to treat the approximately 1 million gout patients that flare three or more times per year. Gout flares are painful inflammatory episodes caused by crystals of monosodium urate (MSU) that result from excess serum uric acid (sUA). In three Phase 2 studies in gout patients arhalofenate was shown to reduce the incidence and duration of flares while simultaneously lowering sUA. If confirmed in additional clinical studies, arhalofenate’s dual acting profile would be unique since all other urate lowering therapies paradoxically increase flares as they lower sUA over the first 6 to 12 months of treatment. Increased flares lead many patients to stop or avoid treatment leading to progression of disease with pain and suffering, erosion of joint structure and functionality, lost time from work, and increased healthcare costs.