Summary of significant accounting policies | 1. Summary of significant accounting policies Basis of presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the accounts of Seattle Genetics, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively “Seattle Genetics” or the “Company”). All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. Management has determined that the Company operates in one segment: the development and sale of pharmaceutical products on its own behalf or in collaboration with others. Substantially all of the Company’s assets and revenues are related to operations in the United States; however, the Company also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Canada. The condensed consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2014 were derived from audited financial statements not included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, or GAAP, for unaudited condensed consolidated financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments consisting of normal recurring adjustments which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair statement of the Company’s financial position and results of its operations, as of and for the periods presented. Unless indicated otherwise, all amounts presented in financial tables are presented in thousands, except for per share and par value amounts. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as filed with the SEC. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The results of the Company’s operations for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. Non-cash investing activities The Company had $1.3 million and $1.6 million of accrued capital expenditures as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. Accrued capital expenditures have been treated as a non-cash investing activity and, accordingly, have been included in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows in the periods paid. Other non-current assets Other non-current assets include a $5.0 million non-controlling investment in a privately-held company that is accounted for under the cost method of accounting. The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of the investment if significant adverse events or circumstances indicate a possible impairment. Revenue recognition The Company’s revenues are comprised of ADCETRIS ® Net product sales The Company sells ADCETRIS through a limited number of pharmaceutical distributors in the U.S. and Canada. Customers order ADCETRIS through these distributors and the Company typically ships product directly to the customer. The Company records product sales when title and risk of loss pass, which generally occurs upon delivery of the product to the customer. Product sales are recorded net of estimated government-mandated rebates and chargebacks, distribution fees, estimated product returns and other deductions. Accruals are established for these deductions and actual amounts incurred are offset against applicable accruals. The Company reflects these accruals as either a reduction in the related account receivable from the distributor, or as an accrued liability depending on the nature of the sales deduction. Sales deductions are based on management’s estimates that consider payer mix in target markets and experience to date. These estimates involve a substantial degree of judgment. Government-mandated rebates and chargebacks Distribution fees, product returns and other deductions Collaboration and license agreement revenues The Company has developed a proprietary technology for linking cytotoxic agents to monoclonal antibodies called antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs. This proprietary technology is the basis of ADC collaborations that the Company has entered into in the ordinary course of its business with a number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Under these ADC collaboration agreements, the Company grants its collaborators research and commercial licenses to the Company’s technology and provides technology transfer services, technical advice, supplies and services for a period of time. If there are continuing performance obligations, the Company uses a time-based proportional performance model to recognize revenue over the Company’s performance period for the related agreement. Collaboration and license agreements are evaluated to determine whether the multiple elements and associated deliverables can be considered separate units of accounting. To date, the pre-commercial deliverables under the Company’s collaboration and license agreements have not qualified as separate units of accounting. The assessment of multiple element arrangements requires judgment in order to determine the appropriate point in time, or period of time, that revenue should be recognized. The Company believes that the development period in each agreement is a reasonable estimate of the performance obligation period of such agreement. Accordingly, all amounts received or due, including any upfront payments, maintenance fees, development and regulatory milestone payments and reimbursement payments, are recognized as revenue over the performance obligation periods of each agreement. These performance obligation periods currently range from one to fourteen years and all of the remaining performance obligation periods will be completed in five years or less. When no performance obligations are required of the Company, or following the completion of the performance obligation period, such amounts are recognized as revenue when collectibility is reasonably assured. Generally, all amounts received or due other than sales-based milestones and royalties are classified as collaboration and license agreement revenues as they are earned. Sales-based milestones and royalties are recognized as royalty revenue as they are reported to the Company. The Company’s collaboration and license agreements include contractual milestones. Generally, the milestone events contained in the Company’s collaboration and license agreements coincide with the progression of the collaborators’ product candidates from development, to regulatory approval and then to commercialization and fall into the following categories. Development milestones in the Company’s collaborations may include the following types of events: • Designation of a product candidate or initiation of pre-clinical studies. The Company’s collaborators must undertake significant pre-clinical research and studies to make a determination of the suitability of a product candidate and the time from those studies or designation to initiation of a clinical trial may take several years. • Initiation of a phase 1 clinical trial. Generally, phase 1 clinical trials may take one to two years to complete. • Initiation of a phase 2 clinical trial. Generally, phase 2 clinical trials may take one to three years to complete. • Initiation of a phase 3 clinical trial. Generally, phase 3 clinical trials may take two to six years to complete. Regulatory milestones in the Company’s collaborations may include the following types of events: • Filing of regulatory applications for marketing approval such as a Biologics License Application in the United States or a Marketing Authorization Application in Europe. Generally, it may take up to twelve months to prepare and submit regulatory filings. • Receiving marketing approval in a major market, such as in the United States, Europe, Japan or other significant countries. Generally it may take up to three years after a marketing application is submitted to obtain approval for marketing and pricing from the applicable regulatory agency. Commercialization milestones in the Company’s collaborations may include the following types of events: • First commercial sale in a particular market, such as in the United States, Europe, Japan or other significant countries. • Product sales in excess of a pre-specified threshold. The amount of time to achieve this type of milestone depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, the dollar amount of the threshold, the pricing of the product, market penetration of the product and the rate at which customers begin using the product. The Company’s ADC collaborators are solely responsible for the development of their product candidates and the achievement of milestones in any of the categories identified above is based solely on the collaborators’ efforts. In the case of the Company’s ADCETRIS collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”), the Company may be involved in certain development activities; however, the achievement of milestone events under the agreement is primarily based on activities undertaken by Takeda. The process of successfully developing a product candidate, obtaining regulatory approval and ultimately commercializing a product candidate is highly uncertain and the attainment of any milestones is therefore uncertain and difficult to predict. In addition, since the Company does not take a substantive role or control the research, development or commercialization of any products generated by its ADC collaborators, the Company is not able to reasonably estimate when, if at all, any milestone payments or royalties may be payable to the Company by its ADC collaborators. As such, the milestone payments associated with its ADC collaborations involve a substantial degree of uncertainty and risk that they may never be received. Similarly, even in those collaborations where the Company may have an active role in the development of the product candidate, such as the Company’s ADCETRIS collaboration with Takeda, the attainment of a milestone is based on the collaborator’s activities and is generally outside the direction and control of the Company. The Company generally invoices its collaborators and licensees on a monthly or quarterly basis, or upon the completion of the effort or achievement of a milestone, based on the terms of each agreement. Deferred revenue arises from amounts received in advance of the culmination of the earnings process and is recognized as revenue in future periods when the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been met. Deferred revenue expected to be recognized within the next twelve months is classified as a current liability. Royalty revenues and cost of royalty revenues Royalty revenues primarily reflect amounts earned under the ADCETRIS collaboration with Takeda. These royalties include sales royalties, which are based on a percentage of Takeda’s net sales at rates that range from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties based on sales volume, and commercial sales-based milestones. Takeda bears a portion of third-party royalty costs owed on its sales of ADCETRIS. This amount is included in royalty revenue in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Cost of royalty revenues reflects amounts owed to the Company’s third party licensors related to Takeda’s sales of ADCETRIS. These amounts are recognized in the quarter in which Takeda reports its sales activity to the Company, which is the quarter following the related sales. Royalty revenues also include amounts earned in connection with the Company’s ADC collaborations. Consolidation and Foreign Currency The net assets of international subsidiaries whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars using current exchange rates. The U.S. dollar effects that arise from translating the net assets of these subsidiaries at changing rates are recognized in other comprehensive income. The earnings of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using average exchange rates. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update entitled “ASU 2014-09, 2015-14, |