The Company
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
The Company
The Company
Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company") is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of OCR-002 (ornithine phenylacetate). OCR-002 is an ammonia scavenger which has been granted orphan drug designation and Fast Track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hyperammonemia and resultant hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis, acute liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver disease.
On July 15, 2013, Terrapin Acquisition, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tranzyme, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Tranzyme”), completed its merger (the “Merger”) with and into Ocera Therapeutics, Inc., a private Delaware corporation (“Private Ocera”).  Private Ocera was considered the acquiring company in the Merger for accounting purposes.  In connection with the Merger, the combined company changed its name to Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. and the name of Private Ocera was changed to Ocera Subsidiary, Inc. (“Ocera Subsidiary”).
The Company's business is subject to significant risks consistent with biopharmaceutical companies seeking to develop technologies and product candidates for human therapeutic use. These risks include, but are not limited to, uncertainties regarding research and development, access to capital, obtaining and enforcing patents, receiving regulatory approval and competition with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
The Company has a limited operating history and the sales and income potential of the Company's business and market are unproven. As of September 30, 2016, the Company has incurred losses since inception of $153.2 million. The Company anticipates that it will continue to incur net losses into the foreseeable future as it continues its efforts to develop and commercialize OCR-002 and as it expands its corporate infrastructure. Based on the Company's current operating plan, the Company believes its working capital is sufficient to fund its operations through at least the next twelve months.