DURECT (DRRX) 10-K3 Mar 152014 FY Annual reportFinancial data

Company Profile

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 18, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-14
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	DRRX
Entity Registrant Name	DURECT CORP
Entity Central Index Key	1082038
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		113,733,358
Entity Public Float			$192,023,330

Balance_Sheets

Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$2,680	$7,836
Short-term investments	30,016	12,753
Accounts receivable (net of allowances of $211 at December 31, 2014 and $144 at December 31, 2013)	2,122	2,349
Inventories	3,642	3,502
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,034	1,888
Total current assets	39,494	28,328
Property and equipment, net	1,749	1,985
Goodwill	6,399	6,399
Intangible assets, net		18
Long-term investments	1,804	3,352
Long-term restricted investments	350	450
Other long-term assets	288	288
Total assets	50,084	40,820
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	1,021	736
Accrued liabilities	5,051	5,865
Contract research liabilities	358	329
Deferred revenue, current portion	538	255
Total current liabilities	6,968	7,185
Deferred revenue, non-current portion	2,742	1,296
Long-term debt, net	19,824
Other long-term liabilities	2,035	1,618
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value: 10,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
Common stock, $0.0001 par value: 200,000 shares authorized; 113,733 and 110,409 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively	11	11
Additional paid-in capital	401,322	391,504
Accumulated other comprehensive income	87	1
Accumulated deficit	-382,905	-360,795
Stockholders' equity	18,515	30,721
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$50,084	$40,820

Balance_Sheets_Parenthetical

Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowances for accounts receivable	$211	$144
Preferred stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000	10,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	200,000	200,000
Common stock, shares issued	113,733	110,409
Common stock, shares outstanding	113,733	110,409

Statements_of_Operations_and_C

Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Statement [Abstract]
Collaborative research and development and other revenue	$8,256	$3,590	$42,494
Product revenue, net	11,145	11,736	10,576
Total revenues	19,401	15,326	53,070
Operating expenses:
Cost of product revenues	5,686	4,837	4,654
Research and development	22,429	18,945	20,265
Selling, general and administrative	12,284	12,706	12,095
Total operating expenses	40,399	36,488	37,014
Income (loss) from operations	-20,998	-21,162	16,056
Other income (expense):
Interest and other income (expenses)	39	-284	151
Interest expense	-1,151	-6	-7
Net other income (expense)	-1,112	-290	144
Net income (loss)	-22,110	-21,452	16,200
Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax	86	-5	1
Total comprehensive income (loss)	($22,024)	($21,457)	$16,201
Net income (loss) per share
Basic	($0.20)	($0.21)	$0.18
Diluted	($0.20)	($0.21)	$0.18
Weighted-average shares used in computing net income (loss) per share
Basic	111,666	103,078	88,433
Diluted	111,666	103,078	88,589

Statement_of_Stockholders_Equi

Statement of Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Common stock [Member]	Additional paid-in capital [Member]	Accumulated other comprehensive income [Member]	Accumulated deficit [Member]
In Thousands, except Share data	Total	Common stock [Member]	Additional paid-in capital [Member]	Accumulated other comprehensive income [Member]	Accumulated deficit [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$3,477	$9	$359,006	$5	($355,543)
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2011		87,547,000
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchases of ESPP shares	231		231
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchases of ESPP shares, shares		333,000
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost	11,617	1	11,616
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost, shares		14,000,000
Stock-based compensation expense from stock options and ESPP shares	4,805		4,805
Net income (loss)	16,200				16,200
Change in unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of tax	1			1
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2012	36,331	10	375,658	6	-339,343
Ending balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2012		101,880,000
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchases of ESPP shares	315		315
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchases of ESPP shares, shares		315,000
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost	10,675	1	10,674
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost, shares		8,214,000
Stock-based compensation expense from stock options and ESPP shares	4,857		4,857
Net income (loss)	-21,452				-21,452
Change in unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of tax	-5			-5
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2013	30,721	11	391,504	1	-360,795
Ending balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013		110,409,000
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchases of ESPP shares	399		399
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and purchases of ESPP shares, shares		416,000
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost	4,618		4,618
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost, shares		2,908,000
Stock-based compensation expense from stock options and ESPP shares	4,801		4,801
Net income (loss)	-22,110				-22,110
Change in unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of tax	86			86
Ending balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$18,515	$11	$401,322	$87	($382,905)
Ending balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2014		113,733,000

Statement_of_Stockholders_Equi1

Statement of Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Stock issuance cost	$192	$825	$983

Statements_of_Cash_Flows

Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income (loss)	($22,110)	($21,452)	$16,200
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	601	558	964
Stock-based compensation	3,080	3,426	4,320
Loss (gain) on impairment and disposal of fixed assets			-73
Inventory write-off	1,227	574	193
Amortization of debt issuance cost	38
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	227	-183	1,282
Inventories	-1,369	-681	-353
Prepaid expenses and other assets	854	370	-372
Accounts payable	285	-1,049	511
Accrued liabilities	1,200	3,734	78
Contract research liability	29	-154	-878
Deferred revenue	1,729	-591	-35,320
Total adjustments	7,901	6,004	-29,648
Net cash used in operating activities	-14,209	-15,448	-13,448
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchases of property and equipment	-204	-69	-290
Purchases of available-for-sale securities	-31,823	-20,403	-25,155
Proceeds from maturities of available-for-sale securities	16,294	21,580	29,352
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-15,733	1,108	3,907
Cash flows from financing activities
Payments on equipment financing obligations	-17	-9	-8
Net proceeds from issuances of common stock upon exercise of stock options, and purchases of ESPP shares	399	315	231
Net proceeds from issuances of common stock in connection with equity financing	4,618	10,675	11,617
Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	19,786
Net cash provided by financing activities	24,786	10,981	11,840
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-5,156	-3,359	2,299
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	7,836	11,195	8,896
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year	2,680	7,836	11,195
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Cash paid for interest	$691	$6	$7

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Nature of Operations
	DURECT Corporation (the Company) was incorporated in the state of Delaware on February 6, 1998. The Company is a pharmaceutical company developing therapies based on its proprietary drug formulations and delivery platform technologies and its expertise in drug development. The Company has several products under development by itself and with third party collaborators. The Company also manufactures and sells osmotic pumps used in laboratory research, and designs, develops and manufactures a wide range of standard and custom biodegradable polymers and excipients for pharmaceutical and medical device clients for use as raw materials in their products. In addition, the Company conducts research and development of pharmaceutical products in collaboration with third party pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
	Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates
	The Company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). Certain other expense balances on the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
	Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
	The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Investments with original maturities of greater than 90 days from the date of purchase but less than one year from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments, while investments with maturities in one year or beyond one year from the balance sheet date are classified as long-term investments. Management determines the appropriate classification of its cash equivalents and investment securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such determination as of each balance sheet date. Management has classified the Company’s cash equivalents and investments as available-for-sale securities in the accompanying financial statements. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses are included in interest income. There were no material realized gains or losses in the periods presented. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method.
	The Company invests in debt instruments of government agencies and corporations, and money market funds with high credit ratings. The Company has established guidelines regarding diversification of its investments and their maturities with the objectives of maintaining safety and liquidity, while maximizing yield.
	Concentrations of Credit Risk
	Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist principally of interest-bearing investments and trade receivables. The Company maintains cash, cash equivalents and investments with various major financial institutions. The Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these financial institutions. In addition, the Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit quality of its investments.
	Pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions account for a substantial portion of the Company’s trade receivables. The Company provides credit in the normal course of business to its customers and collateral for these receivables is generally not required. The risk associated with this concentration is limited to a certain extent due to the large number of accounts and their geographic dispersion. The Company monitors the creditworthiness of its customers to which it grants credit terms in the normal course of business. The Company maintains reserves for estimated credit losses and, to date, such losses have been within management’s expectations.
	Customer and Product Line Concentrations
	A portion of the Company’s revenue is derived from its ALZET mini pump product line, LACTEL biodegradable polymer product line and the sale of certain excipients for REMOXY and another product. In 2014, revenue from the ALZET product line and the LACTEL product line accounted for 37% and 19% of total revenue, respectively. In 2013, revenue from the ALZET product line and the LACTEL product line accounted for 48% and 26% of total revenue, respectively. In 2012, revenue from the ALZET product line and the LACTEL product line accounted for 13% and 7% of total revenue, respectively. Total revenue in 2012 reflected a one-time recognition of $35.4 million of collaborative research and development revenue as a result of the termination of the Company’s agreements with Nycomed, Pfizer and Hospira.
	In 2014, Zogenix and Impax accounted for 23% and 11% of the Company’s total revenues. In 2013, Tolmar Inc. accounted for 15% of the Company’s total revenues. In 2012, Hospira and Pfizer accounted for 45% and 22% of the Company’s total revenues, respectively.
	Total revenue by geographic region for the years 2014, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):


			Year ended December 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	United States		$	15,532		$	11,087		$	44,687
	Europe			1,986			2,089			6,285
	Japan			898			1,104			1,151
	Other			985			1,046			947

	Total		$	19,401		$	15,326		$	53,070

	Revenue by geography is determined by the location of the customer.
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventories, in part, include certain excipients that are sold to a customer and included in products awaiting regulatory approval. These inventories are capitalized based on management’s judgment of probable sale prior to their expiration date which in turn is primarily based on non-binding forecasts from our customers as well as management’s internal estimates. The valuation of inventory requires management to estimate the value of inventory that may become expired prior to use. The Company may be required to expense previously capitalized inventory costs upon a change in management’s judgment, due to, among other potential factors, a denial or delay of approval of a customer’s product by the necessary regulatory bodies, or new information that suggests that the inventory will not be saleable. In addition, these circumstances may cause the Company to record a liability related to minimum purchase agreements that the Company has in place for raw materials. In 2014, the Company recorded charges to cost of goods sold of approximately $1.6 million, of which approximately $1.1 million related to the write-down of the cost basis of inventory and $500,000 related to the accrual of a liability for the minimum purchase commitment for the excipients. As of December 31, 2014, the remaining carrying value of the excipients in the Company’s inventory was $1.2 million. In addition, the Company has remaining unrecorded future purchase commitments totaling $2.0 million through 2018. In the event that management determines that the Company will not utilize all of these materials, there could be a potential write-off related to this inventory and a reserve for future purchase commitments.
	The Company’s inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):


			December 31,
			2014			2013
	Raw materials		$	1,242		$	1,404
	Work in-process			1,120			1,063
	Finished goods			1,280			1,035

	Total inventories		$	3,642		$	3,502

	Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation, which is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, or the terms of the related leases, whichever are shorter.
	Acquired Intangible Assets and Goodwill
	Acquired intangible assets consist of patents, developed technology, trademarks and customer lists related to the Company’s acquisitions accounted for using the purchase method. Amortization of these purchased intangibles is calculated on a straight-line basis over the respective estimated useful lives of the assets ranging from four to seven years. The Company assesses goodwill for impairment at least annually.
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, intangible assets, and other long-term assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable.
	An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition is less than its carrying amount. Impairment, if any, is calculated as the amount by which an asset’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, typically using discounted cash flows to determine fair value. Through December 31, 2014, there have been no material impairment losses.
	Stock-Based Compensation
	The Company accounts for share-based payments using a fair-value based method for costs related to all share-based payments, including stock options and stock issued under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan (ESPP). The Company estimates the fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. See Note 8 for further information regarding stock-based compensation.

	Revenue Recognition
	Revenue from the sale of products is recognized when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, the product is shipped and title transfers to customers, provided no continuing obligation on the Company’s part exists, the price is fixed or determinable and the collectability of the amounts owed is reasonably assured. The Company enters into license and collaboration agreements under which it may receive upfront license fees, research funding and contingent milestone payments and royalties. The Company’s deliverables under these arrangements typically consist of granting licenses to intellectual property rights and providing research and development services. The accounting standards contain a presumption that separate contracts entered into at or near the same time with the same entity or related parties were negotiated as a package and should be evaluated as a single agreement.
	In the first quarter of 2011, the Company adopted ASU No. 2009-13, Revenue Recognition—Multiple Deliverable Revenue Arrangements (ASU 2009-13) for multiple deliverable revenue arrangements, on a prospective basis, for applicable transactions originating or materially modified on or subsequent to January 1, 2011. ASU 2009-13 provides application guidance on whether multiple deliverables exist, how the deliverables should be separated and how the consideration should be allocated to one or more units of accounting. This update changes the requirements for establishing separate units of accounting in a multiple element arrangement and establishes a selling price hierarchy for determining the selling price of a deliverable. The selling price used for each deliverable is based on vendor-specific objective evidence, if available, third-party evidence if vendor-specific objective evidence is not available, or estimated selling price if neither vendor-specific nor third-party evidence is available. Implementation of ASU 2009-13 has had no impact on the Company’s reported revenue as compared to revenue under previous guidance. Under ASU 2009-13, the Company may be required to exercise considerable judgment in determining the estimated selling price of delivered items under new agreements and the Company’s revenue under new agreements may be more accelerated as compared to the prior accounting standard.
	For multiple element arrangements entered into prior to January 1, 2011, the Company determined whether the elements had value on a stand-alone basis and whether there was objective and reliable evidence of fair value. When the delivered element did not have stand-alone value or there was insufficient evidence of fair value for the undelivered element(s), the Company recognized the consideration for the combined unit of accounting in the same manner as the revenue was recognized for the final deliverable, which was generally ratably over the longest period of involvement. For example, upfront payments received upon execution of collaborative agreements are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as collaborative research and development revenue based on a straight-line basis over the period of the Company’s continuing involvement with the third-party collaborator pursuant to the applicable agreement. Such period generally represents the longer of the estimated research and development period or other continuing obligation period defined in the respective agreements between the Company and its third-party collaborators. Returns or credits related to the sale of products have not had a material impact on the Company’s revenues or net loss.
	Research and development revenue related to services performed under the collaborative arrangements with the Company’s third-party collaborators is recognized as the related research and development services are performed. These research payments received under each respective agreement are not refundable and are generally based on reimbursement of qualified expenses, as defined in the agreements. Research and development expenses under the collaborative research and development agreements generally approximate or exceed the revenue recognized under such agreements over the term of the respective agreements. Deferred revenue may result when the Company does not expend the required level of effort during a specific period in comparison to funds received under the respective agreement. For joint control and funding development activities, the Company recognizes revenue from the net reimbursement of the research and development expenses from our collaborators and records the net payment of research and development expenses to our collaborators as additional research and development expense.
	Milestone payments under collaborative arrangements are triggered either by the results of the Company’s research and development efforts or by specified sales results by a third-party collaborator. Milestones related to the Company’s development-based activities may include initiation of various phases of clinical trials, successful completion of a phase of development or results from a clinical trial, acceptance of a New Drug Application by the FDA or an equivalent filing with an equivalent regulatory agency in another territory, or regulatory approval by the FDA or by an equivalent regulatory agency in another territory. Due to the uncertainty involved in meeting these development-based milestones, the development-based milestones are considered to be substantial (i.e., not just achieved through passage of time) at the inception of the collaboration agreement. In addition, the amounts of the payments assigned thereto are considered to be commensurate with the enhancement of the value of the delivered intellectual property as a result of the Company’s performance. The Company’s involvement is necessary to the achievement of development-based milestones. The Company would account for development-based milestones as revenue upon achievement of the substantive milestone events. Milestones related to sales-based activities may be triggered upon events such as the first commercial sale of a product or when sales first achieve a defined level. Under the Company’s collaborative agreements, the Company’s third-party collaborators will take the lead in commercialization activities and the Company is typically not involved in the achievement of sales-based milestones. These sales-based milestones would be achieved after the completion of the Company’s development activities. The Company would account for the sales-based milestones in the same manner as royalties, with revenue recognized upon achievement of the milestone. In addition, upon the achievement of either development-based or sales-based milestone events, the Company has no future performance obligations related to any milestone payments.
	Revenue on cost-plus-fee contracts, such as under contracts to perform research and development for others, is recognized as the related services are rendered as determined by the extent of reimbursable costs incurred plus estimated fees thereon.
	Research and Development Expenses
	Research and development expenses are primarily comprised of salaries and benefits associated with research and development personnel, overhead and facility costs, preclinical and non-clinical development costs, clinical trial and related clinical manufacturing costs, contract services, and other outside costs. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs paid to third parties under sponsored research agreements are recognized as the related services are performed. In addition, net reimbursements of research and development expenses incurred by the Company’s partners are recorded as collaborative research and development revenue. Net payments of research and development expenses to the Company’s partners are recorded as an addition to research and development expenses in the period incurred.
	Comprehensive Income (Loss)
	Accumulated other comprehensive income as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is entirely comprised of unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities.
	Segment Reporting
	The Company operates in one operating segment, which is the research, development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share
Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and common stock equivalents (i.e., options and warrants to purchase common stock) outstanding during the period, if dilutive, using the treasury stock method for options and warrants. The numerators and denominators in the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share were as follows (in thousands except per share amounts):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
Numerators:
Net income (loss)		$	(22,110	)	$	(21,452	)	$	16,200
Denominators:
Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share			111,666			103,078			88,433
Effect of dilutive securities:
Dilution from stock options			—			—			150
Dilution from ESPP			—			—			6

Dilutive common shares			—			—			156

Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share			111,666			103,078			88,589

Net income (loss) per share:
Basic		$	(0.20	)	$	(0.21	)	$	0.18

Diluted		$	(0.20	)	$	(0.21	)	$	0.18

The computation of diluted net income (loss) per share for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 excludes the impact of options to purchase 20.0 million, 19.6 million and 20.7 million shares of common stock outstanding, respectively, at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, as such impact would be antidilutive.
Shipping and Handling
Costs related to shipping and handling are included in cost of revenues for all periods presented.
Operating Leases
The Company leases administrative, manufacturing and laboratory facilities under operating leases. Lease agreements may include rent holidays, rent escalation clauses and tenant improvement allowances. The Company recognizes scheduled rent increases on a straight-line basis over the lease term beginning with the date the Company takes possession of the leased space. The Company records tenant improvement allowances as deferred rent liabilities and amortizes the deferred rent over the terms of the lease to rent expense on the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance codified in ASC 606, Revenue Recognition—Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amends the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance provides companies with two implementation methods. Companies can choose to apply the standard retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective application) or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings of the annual reporting period that includes the date of initial application (modified retrospective application). The standard will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the provisions of ASC 606.

Strategic_Agreements

Strategic Agreements	12 Months Ended
Strategic Agreements	Dec. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Strategic Agreements	2. Strategic Agreements
	The collaborative research and development and other revenues associated with the Company’s major third-party collaborators are as follows (in thousands):


			Year ended December 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	Collaborator
	Zogenix, Inc. (Zogenix) (1)		$	4,431		$	918		$	1,872
	Impax Laboratories, Inc. (Impax) (2)			2,106			—			—
	Pain Therapeutics, Inc. (Pain Therapeutics)			1,359			750			750
	Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) (3)			118			42			11,721
	Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Santen) (4)			16			—			—
	Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) (5)			—			—			23,726
	Nycomed Danmark ApS (Nycomed) (6)			—			—			3,705
	Others			226			1,880			720

	Total collaborative research and development and other revenue		$	8,256		$	3,590		$	42,494


	-1	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were $255,000 in 2014, $241,000 in 2013 and $312,000 in 2012.

	-2	Amounts related to recognition of upfront fees were $2.0 million in 2014 and zero in 2013 and 2012, respectively; the Company and Impax signed a license agreement effective January 3, 2014.

	-3	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were zero in 2014 and 2013, and $9.9 million in 2012. In February 2011, Pfizer acquired King and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of King under the agreements the Company formerly had in place with King; accordingly amounts formally attributed to King are shown as Pfizer figures. In February 2012, the Company was notified that Pfizer was terminating the worldwide Development and License Agreement between Alpharma (acquired by King which subsequently was acquired by Pfizer) and the Company dated September 19, 2008 relating to the development and commercialization of ELADUR. As a result, the Company recognized as revenue all of the remaining upfront fees in 2012 that had previously been deferred.

	-4	Amounts related to recognition of upfront fees were $15,000 in 2014 and zero in 2013 and 2012, respectively; the Company and Santen signed a license agreement effective December 11, 2014.

	-5	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were zero in both 2014 and 2013, and $21.8 million in 2012. In March 2012, the Company was notified that Hospira was terminating the Development and License Agreement between Hospira and the Company dated June 1, 2010 relating to the development and commercialization of POSIDUR in the United States and Canada. As a result, the Company recognized as revenue all of the remaining upfront fees in 2012 that had previously been deferred.

	-6	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were zero in both 2014 and 2013, and $3.7 million in 2012. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited acquired Nycomed and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of Nycomed under the agreements the Company formerly had in place with Nycomed. In January 2012, the Company was notified that Nycomed was terminating the Development and License Agreement between Nycomed and the Company dated November 26, 2006, as amended, relating to the development and commercialization of POSIDUR in Europe and their other licensed territories. As a result, the Company recognized as revenue all of the remaining upfront fees in 2012 that had previously been deferred.
	As of February 18, 2015, the Company had potential milestones of up to $243.5 million that the Company may receive in the future under its collaborative arrangements, of which $75.5 million are development-based milestones and $168.0 million are sales-based milestones. Within the category of development-based milestones, $5.0 million are related to early stage clinical testing (defined as Phase 1 or 2 activities), $12.3 million are related to late stage clinical testing (defined as Phase 3 activities), $20.2 million are related to regulatory filings, and $38.0 million are related to regulatory approvals. No payments were received between December 31, 2014 and February 18, 2015.
	Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc.
	In December 2002, the Company entered into an exclusive agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. (“Pain Therapeutics”) to develop and commercialize on a worldwide basis REMOXY and other oral sustained release, abuse deterrent opioid products incorporating four specified opioid drugs, using the ORADUR technology. The agreement also provides Pain Therapeutics with the exclusive right to commercialize products developed under the agreement on a worldwide basis. In connection with the execution of the agreement, Pain Therapeutics paid the Company upfront fees of $900,000 in December 2002 and $100,000 in October 2003. In December 2005, the Company amended its agreement with Pain Therapeutics in order to specify its obligations with respect to the supply of key excipients for use in the licensed products. Under the agreement, as amended, the Company is responsible for formulation development, supply of selected key excipients used in the manufacture of licensed products and other specified tasks. In 2015, Pain Therapeutics informed the Company that they intend to return to the Company all of Pain Therapeutics’ rights and obligations under the Company’s license agreement to develop and commercialize ORADUR-based formulations of oxymorphone and hydrocodone but without impacting the rights and obligations of the two parties with respect to REMOXY and hydromorphone. Under the agreement with Pain Therapeutics, subject to and upon the achievement of predetermined development and regulatory milestones for the two drug candidates, the Company is entitled to receive milestone payments of up to $5.1 million in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had received $1.7 million in cumulative milestone payments. In addition, if commercialized, the Company will receive royalties for REMOXY and other licensed products which do not contain an opioid antagonist of between 6.0% to 11.5% of net sales of the product depending on sales volume. This agreement can be terminated by either party for material breach by the other party and by Pain Therapeutics without cause. Under the agreement, Pain Therapeutics reimburses the Company for qualified expenses incurred by the Company in connection with the development program.
	The Company recognizes collaborative research and development revenue related to research and development activities for REMOXY and other development programs based on reimbursement of qualified expenses as defined in the collaborative agreement and related amendment with Pain Therapeutics. Total collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreements with Pain Therapeutics was $1.4 million in 2014, and $750,000 in 2013 and 2012. The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $37.7 million under this agreement.

	Under the terms of this agreement, Pain Therapeutics paid the Company an upfront license fee of $1.0 million, with the potential for an additional $5.1 million in performance milestone payments based on the successful development and approval of the two ORADUR-based opioids. Of these potential milestones, $5.1 million are all development-based milestones. As of December 31, 2014, the Company had received $1.7 million in cumulative milestone payments. There are no sales-based milestones under the agreement.
	In March 2009, King assumed the responsibility for further development of REMOXY from Pain Therapeutics. As a result of this change, the Company continued to perform REMOXY-related activities in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the license agreement between the Company and Pain Therapeutics. King was essentially substituted in lieu of Pain Therapeutics with respect to interactions with the Company in its performance of those activities including the obligation to pay the Company with respect to all REMOXY-related costs incurred by the Company. In February 2011, Pfizer acquired King and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of King with respect to REMOXY; accordingly, amounts formally attributed to King are shown as Pfizer figures. In October 2014, Pfizer notified Pain Therapeutics that Pfizer has decided to discontinue development of REMOXY, and that Pfizer would return all rights, including responsibility for regulatory activities, to Pain Therapeutics and that Pfizer will continue ongoing activities under the agreement until the scheduled termination date in April 2015.
	Total collaborative research and development revenue recognized for REMOXY-related work performed by the Company for Pfizer was $118,000, $42,000 and $1.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Prior to March 2009, the Company recognized collaborative research and development revenue for REMOXY-related work under the agreements with Pain Therapeutics. The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company from Pfizer as of December 31, 2014 were $7.1 million under this agreement.
	Long Term Supply Agreement with King (now Pfizer)
	During 2008, the Company began to manufacture commercial lots of certain key excipients that are included in REMOXY to meet the anticipated requirements for these components.
	In August 2009, the Company signed an exclusive long term excipient supply agreement with respect to REMOXY with King. In February 2011, Pfizer acquired King and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of King with respect to this long term supply agreement. This agreement stipulates the terms and conditions under which the Company will supply to King, based on the Company’s manufacturing cost plus a specified percentage mark-up, two key excipients used in the manufacture of REMOXY.
	The term of the agreement commenced on August 5, 2009 and will continue in effect until the earlier of the expiration of all licenses granted under the development and license agreement between the Company and Pain Therapeutics or the termination or expiration of the 2005 development and license agreement between Pain Therapeutics and King, unless the agreement is terminated earlier in accordance with its terms. The agreement provides each party with specified termination rights, which include, but are not limited to, the right of King to terminate the agreement in the event that governmental action requires the withdrawal of REMOXY from all countries in the territory or results in the withdrawal of required manufacturing approvals, or upon a change of control of the Company, in which case termination will be effective one year after notice by King. The Company may terminate the agreement if the Company is unable to procure suitable and sufficient quantities of certain raw materials required to produce the excipient ingredients. Each party may terminate the agreement upon material breach of the agreement by, or the bankruptcy or insolvency of, the other party, in each case subject to a cure period. The agreement further specifies the rights and obligations of the Company and King with respect to plant allocation, adding additional production capacity and sourcing of raw materials, as well as other terms and conditions customary for this type of agreement, including those regarding forecasting, purchasing, invoicing, representations, warranties and indemnities.
	In 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company recognized $33,000, $273,000 and $48,000 of product revenue, respectively, related to key excipients for REMOXY and the associated cost of goods sold was zero, $165,000 and $33,000, respectively.
	Agreement with Zogenix, Inc.
	On July 11, 2011, the Company and Zogenix, Inc., (Zogenix), entered into a Development and License Agreement (the Zogenix Agreement). The Company and Zogenix had previously been working together under a feasibility agreement pursuant to which the Company’s research and development costs were reimbursed by Zogenix. Under the Zogenix Agreement, Zogenix will be responsible for the clinical development and commercialization of a proprietary, long-acting injectable formulation of risperidone using the Company’s SABER controlled-release formulation technology potentially in combination with Zogenix’s DosePro^® needle-free, subcutaneous drug delivery system. DURECT will be responsible for non-clinical, formulation and CMC development activities. The Company will be reimbursed by Zogenix for its research and development efforts on the product.
	Zogenix paid a non-refundable upfront fee to the Company of $2.25 million in July 2011. The Company’s research and development services are considered integral to utilizing the licensed intellectual property and, accordingly, the deliverables are accounted for as a single unit of accounting. The $2.25 million upfront fee will be recognized as collaborative research and development revenue ratably over the term of the Company’s continuing research and development involvement with Zogenix with respect to this product candidate. Zogenix is obligated to pay the Company up to $103 million in total future milestone payments with respect to the product subject to and upon the achievement of various developments, regulatory and sales milestones. Of these potential milestones, $28 million are development-based milestones (none of which has been achieved as of December 31, 2014), and $75 million are sales-based milestones (none of which has been achieved as of December 31, 2014). Zogenix is also required to pay a mid single-digit to low double-digit percentage patent royalty on annual net sales of the product determined on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. The patent royalty term is equal to the later of the expiration of all DURECT technology patents or joint patent rights in a particular jurisdiction, the expiration of marketing exclusivity rights in such jurisdiction, or 15 years from first commercial sale in such jurisdiction. After the patent royalty term, Zogenix will continue to pay royalties on annual net sales of the product at a reduced rate for so long as Zogenix continues to sell the product in the jurisdiction. Zogenix is also required to pay to the Company a tiered percentage of fees received in connection with any sublicense of the licensed rights.
	The Company granted to Zogenix an exclusive worldwide license, with sub-license rights, to the Company’s intellectual property rights related to the Company’s proprietary polymeric and non-polymeric controlled-release formulation technology to make and have made, use, offer for sale, sell and import risperidone products, where risperidone is the sole active agent, for administration by injection in the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other psychiatric related disorders in humans. The Company retains the right to supply Zogenix’s Phase 3 clinical trial and commercial product requirements on the terms set forth in the Zogenix Agreement.
	The Company retains the right to terminate the Zogenix Agreement with respect to specific countries if Zogenix fails to advance the development of the product in such country, either directly or through a sublicensee. In addition, either party may terminate the Zogenix Agreement upon insolvency or bankruptcy of the other party, upon written notice of a material uncured breach or if the other party takes any act impairing such other party’s relevant intellectual property rights. Zogenix may terminate the Zogenix Agreement upon written notice if during the development or commercialization of the product, the product becomes subject to one or more serious adverse drug experiences or if either party receives notice from a regulatory authority, independent review committee, data safety monitory board or other similar body alleging significant concern regarding a patient safety issue. Zogenix may also terminate the Zogenix Agreement with or without cause, at any time upon prior written notice.
	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreements with Zogenix (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $14.3 million under these agreements.


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014			2013			2012
	Ratable recognition of upfront payment		$	255		$	241		$	312
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Zogenix			4,176			677			1,560

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	4,431		$	918		$	1,872

	Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc.
	On January 3, 2014, the Company and Impax Laboratories, Inc. (Impax) entered into a definitive agreement (the Impax Agreement). Pursuant to the Impax Agreement, the Company has granted Impax an exclusive worldwide license to the Company’s proprietary TRANSDUR transdermal delivery technology and other intellectual property to develop and commercialize ELADUR, the Company’s investigational transdermal bupivacaine patch for the treatment of pain associated with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), in addition to selling certain assets and rights in and related to the product. Impax will control and fund the development and commercialization programs, and the parties will establish a joint management committee to oversee, review and coordinate the development and commercialization activities of the parties under the Impax Agreement. Impax will reimburse the Company for certain future research and development it may be requested to conduct on the product.
	In connection with the Impax Agreement, Impax paid a non-refundable upfront fee to the Company of $2.0 million in January 2014. The Company’s technology transfer activities were considered integral to utilizing the licensed intellectual property and, accordingly, the deliverables were accounted for as a single unit of accounting. The $2.0 million upfront fee was recognized as collaborative research and development revenue in the first quarter of 2014 when the license to the intellectual property right was delivered and the technology transfer with respect to this product candidate was completed. Impax agreed to make contingent cash payments to the Company of up to $61.0 million payable based upon the achievement of predefined milestones, of which $31.0 million are development-based milestones and $30.0 million are sales-based milestones (none of which has been achieved as of December 31, 2014). Since the milestones are expected to be achieved at a point in time when there are no performance obligations or remaining deliverables of the Company, the milestones are expected to be recognized in full upon achievement. Upon the first commercialization of ELADUR by Impax, the Company would also receive a tiered mid single-digit to low double-digit royalty on annual net product sales determined on a country-by-country basis. Impax is also required to pay to the Company a percentage of fees received in connection with any sublicense of the licensed rights. Impax may terminate the Impax Agreement without cause at any time upon prior written notice, and either party may terminate the Impax Agreement upon certain circumstances including written notice of a material uncured breach.

	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the Impax Agreement (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $2.1 million under the agreement.


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
Ratable recognition of upfront payment		$	2,000		$	—		$	—
Research and development expenses reimbursable by Impax			106			—			—

Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	2,106		$	—		$	—

Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
On December 11, 2014, the Company and Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Santen) entered into a definitive agreement (the Santen Agreement). Pursuant to the Santen Agreement, the Company granted Santen an exclusive worldwide license to the Company’s proprietary SABER formulation platform and other intellectual property to develop and commercialize a sustained release product utilizing the Company’s SABER technology to deliver an ophthalmology drug. Santen will control and fund the development and commercialization program, and the parties will establish a joint management committee to oversee, review and coordinate the development activities of the parties under the Santen Agreement.
In connection with the Santen agreement, Santen agreed to pay the Company an upfront fee of $2.0 million in cash and to make contingent cash payments to the Company of up to $76.0 million upon the achievement of certain milestones, of which $13.0 million are development-based milestones and $63.0 million are commercialization-based milestones including milestones requiring the achievement of certain product sales targets (none of which has been achieved as of December 31, 2014). Santen will also pay for certain Company costs incurred in the development of the licensed product. If the product is commercialized, the Company would also receive a tiered royalty on annual net product sales ranging from single-digit to the low double digits, determined on a country-by-country basis. As of December 31, 2014, the cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company under this agreement were $2.0 million.
The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the Santen Agreement (in thousands).


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
Ratable recognition of upfront payment		$	15		$	—		$	—
Research and development expenses reimbursable by Santen			1			—			—

Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	16		$	—		$	—

Agreement with Hospira, Inc.
In June 2010, the Company and Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) entered into a license agreement to develop and market POSIDUR (SABER-bupivacaine) in the U.S. and Canada. POSIDUR is the Company’s investigational post-operative pain relief depot that utilizes the Company’s patented SABER technology to deliver bupivacaine to provide up to three days of pain relief after surgery.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hospira made an upfront payment of $27.5 million. In March 2012, the Company was notified that Hospira was terminating the agreement effective September 28, 2012, or, as permitted under the agreement, at an earlier date elected by the Company. Hospira’s termination returned to the Company the U.S. and Canadian rights to develop and commercialize POSIDUR and as such the Company now holds worldwide rights to POSIDUR. As a result of the termination of the Hospira agreement for POSIDUR, the Company recognized as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $21.8 million of deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement as the Company has no remaining performance obligations under the agreement; this recognition of revenue did not result in additional cash proceeds to the Company.
The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreement with Hospira (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $40.7 million under this agreement.


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
Recognition of upfront payment (1)		$	—		$	—		$	21,758
Research and development expenses reimbursable by Hospira			—			—			1,968

Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	—		$	—		$	23,726


-1	The Company’s estimate of the term of its continuing performance obligation was revised in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the termination of the POSIDUR agreement by Hospira. As a result of the termination of the Hospira agreement for POSIDUR, the Company recorded as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $21.8 million deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement.
Agreement with Nycomed
In November 2006, the Company entered into a development and license agreement with Nycomed, which was amended in February 2010 and February 2011. Under the terms of the agreement, as amended, the Company licensed to Nycomed the exclusive commercialization rights to POSIDUR for the European Union (E.U.) and certain other countries.
Under the terms of the agreement as amended, Nycomed paid the Company an upfront license fee of $14.0 million and an $8.0 million development-based milestone payment. In October 2011, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) acquired Nycomed and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of Nycomed under the agreements the Company formerly had in place with Nycomed. In January 2012, the Company was notified that Takeda (through Nycomed) was terminating the license agreement with us, and thereby returning their right to develop and commercialize POSIDUR in Europe and their other licensed territories to us. As a result of the termination of the Nycomed agreement for POSIDUR, the Company recognized revenue during the first quarter of 2012 for the remaining $3.7 million of deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement as the Company had no remaining performance obligations under the agreement; this recognition of revenue did not result in additional cash proceeds to the Company.
The Company’s net share of the research and development costs for POSIDUR under the Company’s agreement with Nycomed was zero in 2014, 2013 and 2012.

The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreement with Nycomed with regard to POSIDUR (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company from Nycomed as of December 31, 2014 were $37.3 million under this agreement. In addition, the cumulative aggregate payments paid by the Company to Nycomed were $9.0 million as of December 31, 2014.


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
Recognition of upfront payment (1)		$	—		$	—		$	3,705
Research and development expenses reimbursable by Nycomed			—			—			—

Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	—		$	—		$	3,705


-1	The Company’s estimate of the term of its continuing performance obligation was revised in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the termination of the agreement by Nycomed. As a result of the termination of the Nycomed agreement for POSIDUR, the Company recorded as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $3.7 million deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement.
Agreement with Alpharma Ireland Limited, an affiliate of Alpharma Inc. (Alpharma) (acquired by King which subsequently was acquired by Pfizer)
Effective October 2008, the Company and Alpharma, entered into a development and license agreement granting Alpharma the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize ELADUR, DURECT’s investigational transdermal bupivacaine patch. As a result of the acquisition of Alpharma by King in December 2008, King assumed the rights and obligations of Alpharma under the agreement. As a result of the acquisition of King by Pfizer in February 2011, Pfizer assumed the rights and obligations of King under the agreement; accordingly, amounts formally contributed to King are shown as Pfizer figures.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alpharma paid the Company an upfront license fee of $20.0 million. The $20.0 million upfront fee had been recognized as collaborative research and development revenue ratably over the term of the Company’s continuing involvement with Pfizer with respect to ELADUR. The Company’s estimate of the remaining term of its continuing involvement was adjusted in the third quarter of 2011 as a result of an updated development plan for ELADUR.
In February 2012, the Company was notified that Pfizer was terminating the agreement, effective August 30, 2012, or, as permitted under the agreement, at an earlier date elected by the Company. Pfizer’s termination returned to the Company worldwide rights to develop and commercialize ELADUR. As a result of the termination of the agreement for ELADUR, the Company recognized revenue during the first quarter of 2012 for the remaining $9.9 million of deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement as the Company has no remaining performance obligations under the agreement; this recognition of revenue did not result in additional cash proceeds to the Company.

The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreement with Pfizer with regard to ELADUR (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $29.2 million under this agreement.


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
Recognition of upfront payment (1)		$	—		$	—		$	9,895
Research and development expenses reimbursable by Pfizer			—			—			124

Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	—		$	—		$	10,019


-1	The Company’s estimate of the term of its continuing performance obligation was revised in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the termination of the agreement by Pfizer. As a result of the termination of this agreement for ELADUR, the Company recorded as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $9.9 million deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement.

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill

Intangible Assets and Goodwill	12 Months Ended
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Dec. 31, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	3. Intangible Assets and Goodwill
	Intangible assets recorded in connection with the Company’s acquisitions consist of the following (in thousands):


		December 31, 2014
		Gross		Accumulated			Net
		Intangibles		Amortization			Intangibles
	Developed technology	$	3,600	$	(3,600	)	$	—
	Patents		591		(591	)		—
	Other intangible assets		3,260		(3,260	)		—

	Total	$	7,451	$	(7,451	)	$	—



		December 31, 2013
		Gross		Accumulated			Net
		Intangibles		Amortization			Intangibles
	Developed technology	$	3,600	$	(3,600	)	$	—
	Patents		591		(573	)		18
	Other intangible assets		3,260		(3,260	)		—

	Total	$	7,451	$	(7,433	)	$	18

	The intangible assets were being amortized on a straight-line basis over estimated useful lives ranging from four to seven years. The net amount of intangible assets at December 31, 2014 was zero.
	Goodwill totaled $6.4 million at December 31, 2014. The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment at least annually. In 2014, 2013 and 2012 goodwill was evaluated and no indicators of impairment were noted. Should goodwill become impaired, the Company may be required to record an impairment charge. To date, the Company has not recorded any impairment charge to goodwill.

Financial_Instruments

Financial Instruments	12 Months Ended
Financial Instruments	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Financial Instruments	4. Financial Instruments
	Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The Company’s valuation techniques used to measure fair value maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The Company follows a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value. These levels of inputs are the following:

		—		Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

		—		Level 2—Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

		—		Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
	The Company’s financial instruments are valued using quoted prices in active markets or based upon other observable inputs. The following table sets forth the fair value of the Company’s financial assets that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2014 (in thousands):


			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3				Total
	Money market funds		$	1,558		$	—		$	—			$	1,558
	Certificates of deposit			—			350			—				350
	Marketable equity security			155			—			—				155
	Commercial paper			—			1,250			—				1,250
	Corporate debt			—			7,740			—				7,740
	U.S. Government agencies			—			22,675			—				22,675

	Total		$	1,713		$	32,015		$	—			$	33,728

	The following table sets forth the fair value of our financial assets that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013 (in thousands):


			Level 1			Level 2			Level 3				Total
	Money market funds		$	34		$	—		$	—			$	34
	Certificates of deposit			—			450			—				450
	Commercial paper			—			1,249			—				1,249
	Corporate debt			—			3,258			—				3,258
	U.S. Government agencies			—			16,898			—				16,898

	Total		$	34		$	21,855		$	—			$	21,889

	Money market funds and marketable equity securities are classified as Level 1 financial assets. Certificates of deposit, commercial paper, corporate debt securities, and U.S. Government agency securities are classified as Level 2 financial assets. The fair value of the Level 2 assets is estimated using pricing models using current observable market information for similar securities. The Company’s Level 2 investments include U.S. government-backed securities and corporate securities that are valued based upon observable inputs that may include benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, bids, offers and reference data including market research publications. The fair value of commercial paper is based upon the time to maturity and discounted using the three-month treasury bill rate. The average remaining maturity of the Company’s Level 2 investments as of December 31, 2014 is less than twelve months and these investments are rated by S&P and Moody’s at AAA or AA- for securities and A1 or P1 for commercial paper.

	The following is a summary of available-for-sale securities as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):


			December 31, 2014
			Amortized			Unrealized			Unrealized				Estimated
			Cost			Gain			Loss				Fair
													Value
	Money market funds		$	1,558		$	—		$	—			$	1,558
	Certificates of deposit			350			—			—				350
	Marketable equity security			—			155			—				155
	Commercial paper			1,250			—			—				1,250
	Corporate debt			7,744			—			(4	)			7,740
	U.S. Government agencies			22,678			2			(5	)			22,675

			$	33,580		$	157		$	(9	)		$	33,728

	Reported as:
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	1,558		$	—		$	—			$	1,558
	Short-term investments			29,867			157			(8	)			30,016
	Long-term investments			1,805			—			(1	)			1,804
	Long-term restricted investments			350			—			—				350

			$	33,580		$	157		$	(9	)		$	33,728



			December 31, 2013
			Amortized			Unrealized			Unrealized				Estimated
			Cost			Gain			Loss				Fair
									Value
Money market funds			$	34		$	—		$	—			$	34
Certificates of deposit			450			—			—				450
Commercial paper			1,249			—			—				1,249
Corporate debt			3,257			1			—				3,258
U.S. Government agencies			16,898			1			(1	)			16,898

		$	21,888		$	2		$	(1	)		$	21,889

Reported as:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	5,334		$	—		$	—			$	5,334
Short-term investments			12,752			2			(1	)			12,753
Long-term investments			3,352			—			—				3,352
Long-term restricted investments			450			—			—				450

		$	21,888		$	2		$	(1	)		$	21,889

The following is a summary of the cost and estimated fair value of available-for-sale securities at December 31, 2014, by contractual maturity (in thousands):


		December 31, 2014
		Amortized			Estimated
		Cost			Fair
					Value
Mature in one year or less		$	30,217		$	30,366
Mature after one year through five years			1,805			1,804

		$	32,022		$	32,170


There were no securities that have had an unrealized loss for more than 12 months as of December 31, 2014.
As of December 31, 2014, unrealized losses on available-for-sale investments are not attributed to credit risk and are considered to be temporary. The Company believes that it is more-likely-than-not that investments in an unrealized loss position will be held until maturity or the recovery of the cost basis of the investment. To date, the Company has not recorded any impairment charges on marketable securities related to other-than-temporary declines in market value.

Property_and_Equipment

Property and Equipment	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment	Dec. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property and Equipment	5. Property and Equipment
	Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Equipment	$	12,161		$	12,438
	Leasehold improvement		9,968			9,855
	Construction-in-progress		227			180

			22,356			22,473
	Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(20,607	)		(20,488	)

	Property and equipment, net	$	1,749		$	1,985

	Depreciation expense was $582,000, $541,000 and $948,000 in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Amortization expense was $17,000, $9,000 and $9,000 in 2014, 2013 and 2012 for assets held under capital leases, respectively.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company has recorded $650,000 as a liability which was included in other long-term liabilities on its balance sheet for asset retirement obligations associated with the estimated restoration cost for its leased buildings.

Restricted_Investments

Restricted Investments	12 Months Ended
Restricted Investments	Dec. 31, 2014
Text Block [Abstract]
Restricted Investments	6. Restricted Investments
Restricted Investments	As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had $350,000 and $450,000, respectively, recorded as restricted investments, which primarily served as collateral for letters of credit securing its leased facilities in Alabama and California.

Commitments

Commitments	12 Months Ended
Commitments	Dec. 31, 2014
Text Block [Abstract]
Commitments	7. Commitments
	Operating Leases
	The Company has lease arrangements for its facilities in California and Alabama. Under these leases, the Company is required to pay certain maintenance expenses in addition to monthly rent. Rent expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term for leases that have scheduled rental payment increases. Rent expense under all operating leases was $1.8 million, $1.5 million, and $1.6 million, for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

	Future minimum payments under these noncancelable leases are as follows (in thousands):


	Year ending December 31,	Operating
	Year ending December 31,	Leases
	2015	$	1,941
	2016		1,970
	2017		2,000
	2018		1,948
	Thereafter		1,056

		$	8,915

	Other Purchase Commitments
	In 2005, the Company entered into a supply agreement with a vendor. The remaining minimum purchase commitments under this agreement are $500,000 per year through 2018. The Company accrued $500,000 as a loss on a purchase obligation and recorded as this amount a charge in cost of goods of sold in the statement of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2014.

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	12 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt	8. Long-Term Debt
	On June 26, 2014, the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Oxford Finance LLC, pursuant to which Oxford provided a $20 million secured single-draw term loan to the Company with a maturity date of July 1, 2018. The term loan was fully drawn at close and the proceeds are to be used for working capital and general business requirements. The term loan repayment schedule provides for interest only payments for the first 18 months, followed by consecutive equal monthly payments of principal and interest in arrears starting on February 1, 2016 and continuing through the maturity date. The Loan Agreement provides for a 7.95% interest rate on the term loan, a $150,000 facility fee that was paid at closing and an additional payment equal to 8% of the principal amount of the term loan, which is due when the term loan becomes due or upon the prepayment of the facility. If the Company elects to prepay the loan, there is also a prepayment fee between 1% and 3% of the principal amount of the term loan depending on the timing and circumstances of prepayment.
	In connection with the term loan, the Company received proceeds of $19.8 million, net of debt offering/issuance costs. The debt offering/issuance costs have been recorded as debt discount on the Company’s balance sheet which together with the final $1.6 million payment and fixed interest rate payments will be amortized to interest expense throughout the life of the term loan using the effective interest rate method.
	The term loan is secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company, except that the collateral does not include any intellectual property (including licensing, collaboration and similar agreements relating thereto), and certain other excluded assets. The Loan Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants by the Company, which covenants limit the Company’s ability to convey, sell, lease, transfer, assign or otherwise dispose of certain assets of the Company; engage in any business other than the businesses currently engaged in by the Company or reasonably related thereto; liquidate or dissolve; make certain management changes; undergo certain change of control events; create, incur, assume, or be liable with respect to certain indebtedness; grant certain liens; pay dividends and make certain other restricted payments; make certain investments; and make payments on any subordinated debt.

	The Loan Agreement also contains customary indemnification obligations and customary events of default, including, among other things, our failure to fulfill certain obligations of the Company under the Loan Agreement and the occurrence of a material adverse change which is defined as a material adverse change in the Company’s business, operations, or condition (financial or otherwise), a material impairment of the prospect of repayment of any portion of the loan, or a material impairment in the perfection or priority of lender’s lien in the collateral or in the value of such collateral. In the event of default by the Company under the Loan Agreement, the lender would be entitled to exercise its remedies thereunder, including the right to accelerate the debt, upon which the Company may be required to repay all amounts then outstanding under the Loan Agreement, which could harm the Company’s financial condition. The conditionally exercisable call option related to the event of default is considered to be an embedded derivative which is required to be bifurcated and accounted for as a separate financial instrument. In the periods presented, the value of the embedded derivative is not material, but could become material in future periods if an event of default became more probable than is currently estimated.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company was in compliance with all material covenants under the Loan Agreement and there had been no material adverse change.
	The fair value of the term loan approximates the carrying value. Future maturities and interest payments under the term loan as of December 31, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):


	2015	$	1,590
	2016		8,848
	2017		8,848
	2018		6,023

	Total minimum payments		25,309
	Less amount representing interest		(5,309	)

	Gross balance of long-term debt		20,000
	Less unamortized debt discount		(176	)

	Carrying value of long-term debt		19,824
	Less current portion of long-term debt		—

	Long-term debt, less current portion and unamortized debt discount	$	19,824

Stockholders_Equity

Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
Stockholders' Equity	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]
Stockholders' Equity	9. Stockholders’ Equity
	Common Stock
	In December 2012, the Company completed an underwritten public offering through which was sold an aggregate of 14,000,000 shares of common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement at a price to the public of $0.90 per share. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $11.6 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.
	In November 2013, the Company completed an underwritten public offering through which was sold an aggregate of 8,214,287 shares of common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement at a price to the public of $1.40 per share. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $10.6 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.
	In December 2013, the Company filed a new shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC, which upon being declared effective in January 2014, allows for the offer of up to $100.9 million of securities from time to time in one or more public offerings of common stock. In addition, the Company entered into a Controlled Equity Offering^SM sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., (Cantor Fitzgerald), under which it may sell, subject to certain limitations, up to $25 million of common stock through Cantor Fitzgerald, acting as agent.
	During the third quarter of 2014, the Company raised net proceeds (net of commissions) of approximately $4.7 million from the sale of 2,907,664 shares of its common stock in the open market through the agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald at a weighted average price of $1.65 per share.
	Description of Stock-Based Compensation Plans
	2000 Stock Plan (Incentive Stock Plan)
	In January 2000, the Company’s Board of Directors and stockholders adopted the DURECT Corporation 2000 Stock Plan, under which incentive stock options and non-statutory stock options and stock purchase rights may be granted to employees, consultants and non-employee directors. The 2000 Stock Plan was amended by written consent of the Board of Directors in March 2000 and written consent of the stockholders in August 2000.
	In April 2005, the Board of Directors approved certain amendments to the 2000 Stock Plan. At the Company’s annual stockholders meeting in June 2005, the stockholders approved the amendments of the 2000 Stock Plan to: (i) expand the types of awards that the Company may grant to eligible service providers under the Stock Plan to include restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights and other similar types of awards (including other awards under which recipients are not required to pay any purchase or exercise price) as well as cash awards; and (ii) include certain performance criteria that may be applied to awards granted under the Stock Plan.
	In April 2010, the Board of Directors approved certain amendments to the 2000 Stock Plan. At the Company’s annual stockholders meeting in June 2010, the stockholders approved the amendments of the 2000 Stock Plan to: (i) provide that the number of shares that remain available for issuance will be reduced by two shares for each share issued pursuant to an award (other than an option or stock appreciation right) granted on or after the date of the 2010 Annual Meeting; (ii) expand the types of transactions that might be considered repricings and option exchanges for which stockholder approval is required; (iii) provide that shares tendered or withheld in payment of the exercise price of an option or withheld to satisfy a withholding obligation, and all shares with respect to which a stock appreciation right is exercised, will not again be available for issuance under the Stock Plan; (iv) require that options and stock appreciation rights have an exercise price or base appreciation amount that is at least fair market value on the grant date, except in connection with certain corporate transactions, and that stock appreciation rights may not have longer than a 10-year term; (v) add new performance goals that may be used to provide “performance-based compensation” under the 2000 Stock Plan; (vi) extend the term of the 2000 Stock Plan to the date that is ten (10) years following the stockholders meeting; and (vii) expand the treatment of outstanding awards in connection with certain changes of control of the Company to cover mergers in which the consideration payable to stockholders is not solely securities of the successor corporation.
	In March 2011, the Board of Directors approved an amendment to the 2000 Stock Plan. At the Company’s annual stockholders meeting in June 2011, the stockholders approved the amendment of the 2000 Stock Plan to increase the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance by 5,500,000 shares. A total of 29,796,500 shares of common stock have been reserved for issuance under this plan. The plan expires in June 2020.
	In April 2013, the Board of Directors approved certain amendments to the 2000 Stock Plan to: (i) increase the number of stock options granted to a non-employee director on the date which such person first becomes a director from 30,000 to 70,000 shares of common stock; each option shall have a ten-year term, become exercisable in installments of one-third of the total number of options granted on each anniversary of the grant and have a two-year period following termination of Director status in which the former director can exercise the option; (ii) modify the exercise period for future option grants to a non-employee director in which a former director can exercise the option following termination of Director status from a one year period to a two-year period.
	Options granted under the 2000 Stock Plan expire no later than ten years from the date of grant. Options may be granted with different vesting terms from time to time not to exceed five years from the date of grant. The option price of an incentive stock option granted to an employee or of a nonstatutory stock option granted to any person who owns stock representing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent or subsidiary) shall be no less than 110% of the fair market value per share on the date of grant. The option price of an incentive stock option granted to any other employee shall be no less than 100% of the fair market value per share on the date of grant.
	As of December 31, 2014, 6,456,057 shares of common stock were available for future grant and options to purchase 23,763,839 shares of common stock were outstanding under the 2000 Stock Plan.
	2000 Directors’ Stock Option Plan
	In March 2000, the Board of Directors adopted the 2000 Directors’ Stock Option Plan. A total of 300,000 shares of common stock had been reserved initially for issuance under this plan. The directors’ plan provides that each person who becomes a non-employee director of the Company after the effective date of the Company’s initial public offering will be granted a non-statutory stock option to purchase 20,000 shares of common stock on the date on which the optionee first becomes a non-employee director of the Company. This plan also provides that each option granted to a new director shall vest at the rate of 33¹/3% per year and each annual option of 5,000 shares shall vest in full at the end of one year.
	At the Company’s annual stockholders meeting in June 2002, the stockholders approved an amendment of the 2000 Directors’ Stock Option Plan to: (i) increase the number of stock options granted to a non-employee director on the date which such person first becomes a director from 20,000 to 30,000 shares of common stock; (ii) increase the number of stock options granted to each non-employee director on the date of each annual meeting of the stockholders after which the director remains on the Board from 5,000 to 12,000 shares of common stock; and (iii) reserve 200,000 additional shares of common stock for issuance under the 2000 Directors’ Stock Option Plan so that the total number of shares reserved for issuance is 500,000.
	In April 2005, the Board of Directors approved certain amendments to the 2000 Directors’ Stock Option Plan. At the Company’s annual stockholders meeting in June 2005, the stockholders approved the amendments of the 2000 Directors’ Stock Option Plan to: (i) increase the number of shares of common stock issuable under the Director’s Plan by an additional 425,000 shares, to an aggregate of 925,000 shares; (ii) increase the number of option shares issued to nonemployee directors annually in connection with their continued service on the Board from 12,000 shares to 20,000 shares; and (iii) modify the vesting of such annual option grants so that such shares vest completely on the day before the first anniversary of the date of grant. The plan expired in September 2010. Awards to our non-employee directors have been granted under the 2000 Stock Plan following that date.
	As of December 31, 2014, no shares of common stock were available for future grant and options to purchase 476,000 shares of common stock were outstanding under the 2000 Director’s Stock Option Plan.

	2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
	In August 2000, the Company adopted the 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. This purchase plan is implemented by a series of overlapping offering periods of approximately 24 months’ duration, with new offering periods, other than the first offering period, beginning on May 1 and November 1 of each year and ending April 30 and October 31, respectively, two years later. The purchase plan allows eligible employees to purchase common stock through payroll deductions at a price equal to the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the beginning of each offering period or at the end of each purchase period. The initial offering period commenced on the effectiveness of the Company’s initial public offering.
	In April 2010, the Board of Directors approved certain amendments to the 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. At the Company’s annual stockholders meeting in June 2010, the stockholders approved the amendments of the 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan to: (i) increase the number of shares of our common stock authorized for issuance under the ESPP by 250,000 shares; (ii) extend the term of the ESPP to the date that is ten (10) years following the stockholders meeting; (iii) provide for six-month consecutive offering periods beginning on November 1, 2010; (iv) revise certain provisions to reflect the final regulations issued under Section 423 of the Code by the Internal Revenue Service; and (v) provide for the cash-out of options outstanding under an offering period in effect prior to the consummation of certain corporate transactions as an alternative to providing for a final purchase under such offering period.
	The plan expires in June 2020. A total of 2,200,000 shares of common stock have been reserved for issuance under this plan. As of December 31, 2014, 129,965 shares of common stock were available for future grant and 2,070,035 shares of common stock have been issued under the 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
	As of December 31, 2014, shares of common stock reserved for future issuance consisted of the following:


			December 31,
			2014
	Stock options outstanding			24,239,839
	Stock options available for grant			6,456,057
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan			129,965

				30,825,861


	A summary of stock option activity under all stock-based compensation plans is as follows:


			Number of				Weighted			Weighted			Aggregate
			Options				Average			Average Remaining			Intrinsic
							Exercise			Contractual Term			Value
							Price Per Share			(in Years)			(in millions)
	Outstanding at December 31, 2011			20,465,064			$	3.55			5.65		$	—
	Options granted			3,418,287			$	0.79
	Options exercised			(179,067	)		$	0.78
	Options forfeited			(640,649	)		$	2.47
	Options expired			(2,161,479	)		$	4.37

	Outstanding at December 31, 2012			20,902,156			$	3.07			5.41		$	—
	Options granted			4,592,849			$	1.21
	Options exercised			(187,014	)		$	1.01
	Options forfeited			(94,055	)		$	1.38
	Options expired			(1,517,352	)		$	3.17

	Outstanding at December 31, 2013			23,696,584			$	2.73			5.45		$	5.2
	Options granted			3,747,428			$	1.94
	Options exercised			(300,602	)		$	0.99
	Options forfeited			(144,611	)		$	1.5
	Options expired			(2,758,960	)		$	2.95

	Outstanding at December 31, 2014			24,239,839			$	2.61			5.72		$	—

Exercisable at December 31, 2014			20,458,476			$	2.8			5.21		$	—

Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2014			23,920,208			$	2.62			5.68		$	—

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value (i.e., the difference between the Company’s closing stock price on the last trading day of 2014 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on December 31, 2014. This amount changes based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock. The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $178,000, $77,000 and $103,000 for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
In February 2012, February 2013 and January 2014, the Company granted its employees stock options to purchase 966,000, 1.7 million and 1.1 million shares, respectively, of the Company’s common stock, which vested immediately on the grant date. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of all options granted with exercise prices equal to fair market value was $1.53 in 2014, $0.85 in 2013 and $0.54 in 2012 determined by the Black-Scholes option valuation method. There were no options granted with exercise prices lower than fair market value in 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Expenses for non-employee stock options are recorded over the vesting period of the options, with the value determined by the Black-Scholes option valuation method and remeasured over the vesting term.

As of December 31, 2014, the Company had three stock-based equity compensation plans, which are described above. The employee stock-based compensation cost that has been included in the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) is shown as below (in thousands):


		Year ended December 31,
		2014				2013			2012
Cost of product revenues		$	149			$	170		$	244
Research and development			1,697				1,999			2,602
Selling, general and administrative			1,234				1,257			1,474

		$	3,080			$	3,426		$	4,320

Because the Company had a net operating loss carryforward as of December 31, 2014, no excess tax benefits for the tax deductions related to stock-based compensation expense were recognized in the statement of operations. Additionally, no incremental tax benefits were recognized from stock options exercised during 2014, which would have resulted in a reclassification to reduce net cash provided by operating activities with an offsetting increase in net cash provided by financing activities.
Determining Fair Value
Valuation and Expense Recognition. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The Company recognizes the expense on a straight-line basis. The expense for options is recognized over the requisite service periods of the awards, which is generally the vesting period.
Expected Term. The expected term of options granted represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding. The Company determines the expected life using historical options experience. This develops the expected life by taking the weighted average of the actual life of options exercised and cancelled and assumes that outstanding options are exercised uniformly from the current holding period through the end of the contractual life.
Expected Volatility. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the historical volatility of the Company’s common stock.
Risk-Free Rate. The Company bases the risk-free rate that it uses in the Black-Scholes option valuation model on the implied yield in effect at the time of option grant on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with substantially equivalent remaining terms.
Dividends. The Company has never paid any cash dividends on its common stock and the Company does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, the Company uses an expected dividend yield of zero in the Black-Scholes option valuation model.

The Company used the following assumptions to estimate the fair value of options granted (including fully vested options issued in January 2014, February 2013 and February 2012) and shares purchased under its stock plans and employee stock purchase plan for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:


		Year ended December 31,
		2014				2013			2012
Stock Options
Risk-free rate			1.9-2.8	%			0.9-2.9	%		0.9-1.5	%
Expected dividend yield			—				—			—
Expected term (in years)			6.5-10.0				5.3-10.0			5.5-6.5
Volatility			76-85	%			77-86	%		78-81	%
Forfeiture rate			7.2	%			8.4	%		7.7	%


		Year ended December 31,
		2014				2013			2012
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Risk-free rate			0.1	%			0.1-0.2	%		0.1-1.0	%
Expected dividend yield			—				—			—
Expected term (in years)			0.5				0.5			1.3
Volatility			60-81	%			64-81	%		69-101	%
There were 115,412, 128,433 and 153,730 shares purchased under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Included in the statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $43,000, $56,000 and $36,000, respectively, in stock-based compensation expense related to the recognition of expenses related to shares purchased under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan.
As of December 31, 2014, $3.4 million of total unrecognized compensation costs related to nonvested stock options is expected to be recognized over the respective vesting terms of each award through 2018. The weighted average term of the unrecognized stock-based compensation expense is 2.4 years.
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding at December 31, 2014:


Options Outstanding												Options Exercisable
Range of		Number of				Weighted-			Weighted-			Number of			Weighted-
Exercise Price		Options				Average			Average			Options			Average
		Outstanding				Remaining			Exercise			Exercisable			Exercise
						Contractual Life			Price						Price
						(In years)
$0.73 – 0.74			22,500				7.25		$	0.73			14,218		$	0.73
$0.78 – 0.78			2,561,000				7.09		$	0.78			2,076,981		$	0.78
$0.82 – 1.20			441,105				8.05		$	1.02			426,355		$	1.02
$1.21 – 1.21			3,706,502				8.06		$	1.21			2,763,690		$	1.21
$1.24 – 2.04			1,231,890				8.71		$	1.39			440,033		$	1.36
$2.09 – 2.09			4,057,631				7.61		$	2.09			2,639,168		$	2.09
$2.13 – 2.22			2,506,564				5.02		$	2.18			2,506,564		$	2.18
$2.25 – 3.26			4,214,457				5.03		$	3.15			4,097,402		$	3.15
$3.29 – 4.85			2,434,135				2.16		$	4.19			2,430,010		$	4.19
$4.87 – 6.32			3,064,055				2.06		$	5.62			3,064,055		$	5.62

$0.73 – 6.32			24,239,839				5.72		$	2.61			20,458,476		$	2.8


The Company received $299,000, $188,000, and $140,000 in cash from option exercises under all stock-based compensation plans for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	10. Income Taxes
	The Company accounts for income taxes using the liability method under ASC 740, Income Taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences resulting from the different treatment of items for tax and financial reporting purposes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to reverse. Additionally, the Company must assess the likelihood that deferred tax assets will be recovered as deductions from future taxable income. The Company has provided a full valuation allowance on the Company’s deferred tax assets because the Company believes it is more likely than not that its deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company evaluates the realizability of its deferred tax assets on a quarterly basis. The Company recorded a deferred tax liability of $405,000 and $320,000 on its balance sheet at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, that arose from tax amortization of an indefinitely-lived intangible asset. The Company also recorded a deferred tax provision of $85,000 and $320,000 related to the deferred tax liability in the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In addition, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $61,000 related to unrealized gain on a marketable equity security in the year ended December 31, 2014. There was no provision for income taxes in 2012 as the Company has incurred losses to date.
	The reconciliation of income tax expenses (benefit) at the statutory federal income tax rate of 34% to net income tax benefit included in the statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is as follows (in thousands):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	U.S. federal taxes provision (benefit) at statutory rate	$	(7,502	)	$	(7,184	)	$	5,516
	State taxes		—			—			—
	Change in valuation allowance		6,854			9,517			(7,208	)
	Stock-based compensation		1,139			375			1,688
	Change in deferreds		(2	)		(1,718	)		—
	Other		(465	)		(670	)		4

	Total income tax provision	$	24		$	320		$	—

	In 2014, 2013 and 2012, total income tax provision expense was $24,000, $320,000 and zero, respectively. The Company has presented the $24,000 and $320,000 of deferred income tax provision in interest and other income (expenses) in its statements of operation and comprehensive income (loss). Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the net tax effects of net operating loss and research and other credit carryforwards and the temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Net operating loss carryforwards	$	105,609		$	98,425
	Research and other credits		10,995			10,127
	Capitalized research and development expenses		456			498
	Deferred revenue		516			584
	Stock-based compensation		9,402			8,661
	Other		3,967			3,724

	Total deferred tax assets		130,945			122,019
	Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets		(130,945	)		(122,019	)
	Deferred tax liabilities—Intangibles		(405	)		(320	)

	Net deferred tax assets and liabilities	$	(405	)	$	(320	)

	Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, if any, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. Accordingly, the net deferred tax assets have been fully offset by a valuation allowance. The valuation allowance increased by $8.9 million and $11.7 million and decreased by $10.7 million during 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $276.9 million, which expire in the years 2019 through 2034, and federal research and development tax credits of approximately $9.1 million which expire at various dates beginning in 2018 through 2034, if not utilized.
	As of December 31, 2014, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards for state income tax purposes of approximately $204.1 million, which expire in the years 2015 through 2034, if not utilized, and state research and development tax credits of approximately $9.9 million, which do not expire.
	Utilization of the net operating losses may be subject to a substantial annual limitation due to federal and state ownership change limitations. The annual limitation may result in the expiration of net operating losses before utilization.
	At December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $5.7 million and $5.3 million, respectively (none of which, if recognized, would affect the Company’s effective tax rate). The Company does not believe there will be any material changes in its unrecognized tax positions over the next twelve months.

	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Balance at beginning of the year	$	5,252		$	4,777
	Increases (decrease) related to prior year tax positions		—			88
	Increases (decrease) related to current year tax positions		450			387
	Settlements		—			—
	Reductions due to lapse of applicable statute of limitations		—			—

	Balance at end of the year	$	5,702		$	5,252

	Interest and penalty costs related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, are classified as a component of interest income and other income (expense), net in the accompanying Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company did not recognize any interest and penalty expense related to unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
	The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. The Company is subject to U.S. federal and state income tax examination for calendar tax years ending 1998 through 2014 due to unutilized net operating losses and research credits.

Reduction_in_Force

Reduction in Force	12 Months Ended
Reduction in Force	Dec. 31, 2014
Text Block [Abstract]
Reduction in Force	11. Reduction in Force
Reduction in Force	In February 2012, the Company reduced the size of its workforce by 15 employees or approximately 12% of its headcount. The goal of this action was to better align the Company’s cost structure with anticipated revenues and operating expenses, while not compromising the Company’s key corporate objectives for the year. The Company completed this headcount reduction during the first quarter of 2012, and incurred approximately $336,000 in severance costs for the impacted employees, of which $195,000 was recorded in research and development expenses and $141,000 was recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses in the first quarter of 2012. All activities related to the restructuring were completed and the severance costs were paid during the first quarter of 2012.

Unaudited_Selected_Quarterly_F

Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data	12 Months Ended
Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data	12. Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data (in thousands, except per share amounts)


		First Quarter						Second Quarter						Third Quarter						Fourth Quarter
		2014			2013			2014			2013			2014			2013			2014			2013
	Revenue	$	6,293		$	4,153		$	4,581		$	3,918		$	4,258		$	2,966		$	4,269		$	4,289
	Net income (loss)	$	(3,600	)	$	(5,183	)	$	(5,478	)	$	(5,145	)	$	(7,092	)	$	(6,024	)	$	(5,940	)	$	(5,100	)
	Basic net income (loss) per share	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)
	Diluted net income (loss) per share	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)

Schedule_IIValuation_and_Quali

Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	Dec. 31, 2014
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]
Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	SCHEDULE II—VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
	Year Ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012
	(in thousands)


		Balance at		Provision			Recoveries/			Balance at
		beginning					Write-			end of the
		of the year					Offs			year
	December 31, 2014
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	144	$	88		$	(21	)	$	211
	December 31, 2013
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	154	$	(20	)	$	10		$	144
	December 31, 2012
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	98	$	73		$	(17	)	$	154

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Nature of Operations
Nature of Operations	DURECT Corporation (the Company) was incorporated in the state of Delaware on February 6, 1998. The Company is a pharmaceutical company developing therapies based on its proprietary drug formulations and delivery platform technologies and its expertise in drug development. The Company has several products under development by itself and with third party collaborators. The Company also manufactures and sells osmotic pumps used in laboratory research, and designs, develops and manufactures a wide range of standard and custom biodegradable polymers and excipients for pharmaceutical and medical device clients for use as raw materials in their products. In addition, the Company conducts research and development of pharmaceutical products in collaboration with third party pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates	Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates
Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates	The Company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). Certain other expense balances on the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments	Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
	The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Investments with original maturities of greater than 90 days from the date of purchase but less than one year from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments, while investments with maturities in one year or beyond one year from the balance sheet date are classified as long-term investments. Management determines the appropriate classification of its cash equivalents and investment securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such determination as of each balance sheet date. Management has classified the Company’s cash equivalents and investments as available-for-sale securities in the accompanying financial statements. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses are included in interest income. There were no material realized gains or losses in the periods presented. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method.
	The Company invests in debt instruments of government agencies and corporations, and money market funds with high credit ratings. The Company has established guidelines regarding diversification of its investments and their maturities with the objectives of maintaining safety and liquidity, while maximizing yield.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	Concentrations of Credit Risk
	Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist principally of interest-bearing investments and trade receivables. The Company maintains cash, cash equivalents and investments with various major financial institutions. The Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these financial institutions. In addition, the Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit quality of its investments.
	Pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions account for a substantial portion of the Company’s trade receivables. The Company provides credit in the normal course of business to its customers and collateral for these receivables is generally not required. The risk associated with this concentration is limited to a certain extent due to the large number of accounts and their geographic dispersion. The Company monitors the creditworthiness of its customers to which it grants credit terms in the normal course of business. The Company maintains reserves for estimated credit losses and, to date, such losses have been within management’s expectations.
Customer and Product Line Concentrations	Customer and Product Line Concentrations
	A portion of the Company’s revenue is derived from its ALZET mini pump product line, LACTEL biodegradable polymer product line and the sale of certain excipients for REMOXY and another product. In 2014, revenue from the ALZET product line and the LACTEL product line accounted for 37% and 19% of total revenue, respectively. In 2013, revenue from the ALZET product line and the LACTEL product line accounted for 48% and 26% of total revenue, respectively. In 2012, revenue from the ALZET product line and the LACTEL product line accounted for 13% and 7% of total revenue, respectively. Total revenue in 2012 reflected a one-time recognition of $35.4 million of collaborative research and development revenue as a result of the termination of the Company’s agreements with Nycomed, Pfizer and Hospira.
	In 2014, Zogenix and Impax accounted for 23% and 11% of the Company’s total revenues. In 2013, Tolmar Inc. accounted for 15% of the Company’s total revenues. In 2012, Hospira and Pfizer accounted for 45% and 22% of the Company’s total revenues, respectively.
	Total revenue by geographic region for the years 2014, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):


		Year ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	United States	$	15,532		$	11,087		$	44,687
	Europe		1,986			2,089			6,285
	Japan		898			1,104			1,151
	Other		985			1,046			947

	Total	$	19,401		$	15,326		$	53,070

	Revenue by geography is determined by the location of the customer.
Inventories	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out basis. Inventories, in part, include certain excipients that are sold to a customer and included in products awaiting regulatory approval. These inventories are capitalized based on management’s judgment of probable sale prior to their expiration date which in turn is primarily based on non-binding forecasts from our customers as well as management’s internal estimates. The valuation of inventory requires management to estimate the value of inventory that may become expired prior to use. The Company may be required to expense previously capitalized inventory costs upon a change in management’s judgment, due to, among other potential factors, a denial or delay of approval of a customer’s product by the necessary regulatory bodies, or new information that suggests that the inventory will not be saleable. In addition, these circumstances may cause the Company to record a liability related to minimum purchase agreements that the Company has in place for raw materials. In 2014, the Company recorded charges to cost of goods sold of approximately $1.6 million, of which approximately $1.1 million related to the write-down of the cost basis of inventory and $500,000 related to the accrual of a liability for the minimum purchase commitment for the excipients. As of December 31, 2014, the remaining carrying value of the excipients in the Company’s inventory was $1.2 million. In addition, the Company has remaining unrecorded future purchase commitments totaling $2.0 million through 2018. In the event that management determines that the Company will not utilize all of these materials, there could be a potential write-off related to this inventory and a reserve for future purchase commitments.
	The Company’s inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Raw materials	$	1,242		$	1,404
	Work in-process		1,120			1,063
	Finished goods		1,280			1,035

	Total inventories	$	3,642		$	3,502

Property and Equipment	Property and Equipment
Property and Equipment	Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation, which is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, or the terms of the related leases, whichever are shorter.
Acquired Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Acquired Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Acquired Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Acquired intangible assets consist of patents, developed technology, trademarks and customer lists related to the Company’s acquisitions accounted for using the purchase method. Amortization of these purchased intangibles is calculated on a straight-line basis over the respective estimated useful lives of the assets ranging from four to seven years. The Company assesses goodwill for impairment at least annually.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, intangible assets, and other long-term assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable.
	An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition is less than its carrying amount. Impairment, if any, is calculated as the amount by which an asset’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, typically using discounted cash flows to determine fair value. Through December 31, 2014, there have been no material impairment losses.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-Based Compensation	The Company accounts for share-based payments using a fair-value based method for costs related to all share-based payments, including stock options and stock issued under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan (ESPP). The Company estimates the fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. See Note 8 for further information regarding stock-based compensation.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition
	Revenue from the sale of products is recognized when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, the product is shipped and title transfers to customers, provided no continuing obligation on the Company’s part exists, the price is fixed or determinable and the collectability of the amounts owed is reasonably assured. The Company enters into license and collaboration agreements under which it may receive upfront license fees, research funding and contingent milestone payments and royalties. The Company’s deliverables under these arrangements typically consist of granting licenses to intellectual property rights and providing research and development services. The accounting standards contain a presumption that separate contracts entered into at or near the same time with the same entity or related parties were negotiated as a package and should be evaluated as a single agreement.
	In the first quarter of 2011, the Company adopted ASU No. 2009-13, Revenue Recognition—Multiple Deliverable Revenue Arrangements (ASU 2009-13) for multiple deliverable revenue arrangements, on a prospective basis, for applicable transactions originating or materially modified on or subsequent to January 1, 2011. ASU 2009-13 provides application guidance on whether multiple deliverables exist, how the deliverables should be separated and how the consideration should be allocated to one or more units of accounting. This update changes the requirements for establishing separate units of accounting in a multiple element arrangement and establishes a selling price hierarchy for determining the selling price of a deliverable. The selling price used for each deliverable is based on vendor-specific objective evidence, if available, third-party evidence if vendor-specific objective evidence is not available, or estimated selling price if neither vendor-specific nor third-party evidence is available. Implementation of ASU 2009-13 has had no impact on the Company’s reported revenue as compared to revenue under previous guidance. Under ASU 2009-13, the Company may be required to exercise considerable judgment in determining the estimated selling price of delivered items under new agreements and the Company’s revenue under new agreements may be more accelerated as compared to the prior accounting standard.
	For multiple element arrangements entered into prior to January 1, 2011, the Company determined whether the elements had value on a stand-alone basis and whether there was objective and reliable evidence of fair value. When the delivered element did not have stand-alone value or there was insufficient evidence of fair value for the undelivered element(s), the Company recognized the consideration for the combined unit of accounting in the same manner as the revenue was recognized for the final deliverable, which was generally ratably over the longest period of involvement. For example, upfront payments received upon execution of collaborative agreements are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as collaborative research and development revenue based on a straight-line basis over the period of the Company’s continuing involvement with the third-party collaborator pursuant to the applicable agreement. Such period generally represents the longer of the estimated research and development period or other continuing obligation period defined in the respective agreements between the Company and its third-party collaborators. Returns or credits related to the sale of products have not had a material impact on the Company’s revenues or net loss.
	Research and development revenue related to services performed under the collaborative arrangements with the Company’s third-party collaborators is recognized as the related research and development services are performed. These research payments received under each respective agreement are not refundable and are generally based on reimbursement of qualified expenses, as defined in the agreements. Research and development expenses under the collaborative research and development agreements generally approximate or exceed the revenue recognized under such agreements over the term of the respective agreements. Deferred revenue may result when the Company does not expend the required level of effort during a specific period in comparison to funds received under the respective agreement. For joint control and funding development activities, the Company recognizes revenue from the net reimbursement of the research and development expenses from our collaborators and records the net payment of research and development expenses to our collaborators as additional research and development expense.
	Milestone payments under collaborative arrangements are triggered either by the results of the Company’s research and development efforts or by specified sales results by a third-party collaborator. Milestones related to the Company’s development-based activities may include initiation of various phases of clinical trials, successful completion of a phase of development or results from a clinical trial, acceptance of a New Drug Application by the FDA or an equivalent filing with an equivalent regulatory agency in another territory, or regulatory approval by the FDA or by an equivalent regulatory agency in another territory. Due to the uncertainty involved in meeting these development-based milestones, the development-based milestones are considered to be substantial (i.e., not just achieved through passage of time) at the inception of the collaboration agreement. In addition, the amounts of the payments assigned thereto are considered to be commensurate with the enhancement of the value of the delivered intellectual property as a result of the Company’s performance. The Company’s involvement is necessary to the achievement of development-based milestones. The Company would account for development-based milestones as revenue upon achievement of the substantive milestone events. Milestones related to sales-based activities may be triggered upon events such as the first commercial sale of a product or when sales first achieve a defined level. Under the Company’s collaborative agreements, the Company’s third-party collaborators will take the lead in commercialization activities and the Company is typically not involved in the achievement of sales-based milestones. These sales-based milestones would be achieved after the completion of the Company’s development activities. The Company would account for the sales-based milestones in the same manner as royalties, with revenue recognized upon achievement of the milestone. In addition, upon the achievement of either development-based or sales-based milestone events, the Company has no future performance obligations related to any milestone payments.
	Revenue on cost-plus-fee contracts, such as under contracts to perform research and development for others, is recognized as the related services are rendered as determined by the extent of reimbursable costs incurred plus estimated fees thereon.
Research and Development Expenses	Research and Development Expenses
Research and Development Expenses	Research and development expenses are primarily comprised of salaries and benefits associated with research and development personnel, overhead and facility costs, preclinical and non-clinical development costs, clinical trial and related clinical manufacturing costs, contract services, and other outside costs. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs paid to third parties under sponsored research agreements are recognized as the related services are performed. In addition, net reimbursements of research and development expenses incurred by the Company’s partners are recorded as collaborative research and development revenue. Net payments of research and development expenses to the Company’s partners are recorded as an addition to research and development expenses in the period incurred.
Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Accumulated other comprehensive income as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is entirely comprised of unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities.
Segment Reporting	Segment Reporting
Segment Reporting	The Company operates in one operating segment, which is the research, development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.
Net Income (Loss) Per Share	Net Income (Loss) Per Share
	Basic net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding and common stock equivalents (i.e., options and warrants to purchase common stock) outstanding during the period, if dilutive, using the treasury stock method for options and warrants. The numerators and denominators in the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share were as follows (in thousands except per share amounts):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Numerators:
	Net income (loss)	$	(22,110	)	$	(21,452	)	$	16,200
	Denominators:
	Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share		111,666			103,078			88,433
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Dilution from stock options		—			—			150
	Dilution from ESPP		—			—			6

	Dilutive common shares		—			—			156

	Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share		111,666			103,078			88,589

	Net income (loss) per share:
	Basic	$	(0.20	)	$	(0.21	)	$	0.18

	Diluted	$	(0.20	)	$	(0.21	)	$	0.18

	The computation of diluted net income (loss) per share for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 excludes the impact of options to purchase 20.0 million, 19.6 million and 20.7 million shares of common stock outstanding, respectively, at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, as such impact would be antidilutive.
Shipping and Handling	Shipping and Handling
Shipping and Handling	Costs related to shipping and handling are included in cost of revenues for all periods presented.
Operating Leases	Operating Leases
Operating Leases	The Company leases administrative, manufacturing and laboratory facilities under operating leases. Lease agreements may include rent holidays, rent escalation clauses and tenant improvement allowances. The Company recognizes scheduled rent increases on a straight-line basis over the lease term beginning with the date the Company takes possession of the leased space. The Company records tenant improvement allowances as deferred rent liabilities and amortizes the deferred rent over the terms of the lease to rent expense on the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss).
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance codified in ASC 606, Revenue Recognition—Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amends the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance provides companies with two implementation methods. Companies can choose to apply the standard retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective application) or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings of the annual reporting period that includes the date of initial application (modified retrospective application). The standard will be effective for public entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the provisions of ASC 606.

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Total Revenue by Geographic Region	Total revenue by geographic region for the years 2014, 2013 and 2012 are as follows (in thousands):


		Year ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	United States	$	15,532		$	11,087		$	44,687
	Europe		1,986			2,089			6,285
	Japan		898			1,104			1,151
	Other		985			1,046			947

	Total	$	19,401		$	15,326		$	53,070

Summary of Components of Inventories	The Company’s inventories consisted of the following (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Raw materials	$	1,242		$	1,404
	Work in-process		1,120			1,063
	Finished goods		1,280			1,035

	Total inventories	$	3,642		$	3,502

Summary of Numerators and Denominators in Calculation of Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) per Share	The numerators and denominators in the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share were as follows (in thousands except per share amounts):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Numerators:
	Net income (loss)	$	(22,110	)	$	(21,452	)	$	16,200
	Denominators:
	Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share		111,666			103,078			88,433
	Effect of dilutive securities:
	Dilution from stock options		—			—			150
	Dilution from ESPP		—			—			6

	Dilutive common shares		—			—			156

	Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share		111,666			103,078			88,589

	Net income (loss) per share:
	Basic	$	(0.20	)	$	(0.21	)	$	0.18

	Diluted	$	(0.20	)	$	(0.21	)	$	0.18

Strategic_Agreements_Tables

Strategic Agreements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Strategic Agreements (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development and Other Revenues Associated with Company's Major Third-Party Collaborators	The collaborative research and development and other revenues associated with the Company’s major third-party collaborators are as follows (in thousands):


			Year ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Collaborator
	Zogenix, Inc. (Zogenix) (1)		$	4,431	$	918	$	1,872
	Impax Laboratories, Inc. (Impax) (2)			2,106		—		—
	Pain Therapeutics, Inc. (Pain Therapeutics)			1,359		750		750
	Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) (3)			118		42		11,721
	Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Santen) (4)			16		—		—
	Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) (5)			—		—		23,726
	Nycomed Danmark ApS (Nycomed) (6)			—		—		3,705
	Others			226		1,880		720

	Total collaborative research and development and other revenue		$	8,256	$	3,590	$	42,494


	-1	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were $255,000 in 2014, $241,000 in 2013 and $312,000 in 2012.

	-2	Amounts related to recognition of upfront fees were $2.0 million in 2014 and zero in 2013 and 2012, respectively; the Company and Impax signed a license agreement effective January 3, 2014.

	-3	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were zero in 2014 and 2013, and $9.9 million in 2012. In February 2011, Pfizer acquired King and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of King under the agreements the Company formerly had in place with King; accordingly amounts formally attributed to King are shown as Pfizer figures. In February 2012, the Company was notified that Pfizer was terminating the worldwide Development and License Agreement between Alpharma (acquired by King which subsequently was acquired by Pfizer) and the Company dated September 19, 2008 relating to the development and commercialization of ELADUR. As a result, the Company recognized as revenue all of the remaining upfront fees in 2012 that had previously been deferred.

	-4	Amounts related to recognition of upfront fees were $15,000 in 2014 and zero in 2013 and 2012, respectively; the Company and Santen signed a license agreement effective December 11, 2014.

	-5	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were zero in both 2014 and 2013, and $21.8 million in 2012. In March 2012, the Company was notified that Hospira was terminating the Development and License Agreement between Hospira and the Company dated June 1, 2010 relating to the development and commercialization of POSIDUR in the United States and Canada. As a result, the Company recognized as revenue all of the remaining upfront fees in 2012 that had previously been deferred.

	-6	Amounts related to ratable recognition of upfront fees were zero in both 2014 and 2013, and $3.7 million in 2012. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited acquired Nycomed and thereby assumed the rights and obligations of Nycomed under the agreements the Company formerly had in place with Nycomed. In January 2012, the Company was notified that Nycomed was terminating the Development and License Agreement between Nycomed and the Company dated November 26, 2006, as amended, relating to the development and commercialization of POSIDUR in Europe and their other licensed territories. As a result, the Company recognized as revenue all of the remaining upfront fees in 2012 that had previously been deferred.
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member]
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreements with Zogenix (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $14.3 million under these agreements.


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Ratable recognition of upfront payment		$	255	$	241	$	312
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Zogenix			4,176		677		1,560

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	4,431	$	918	$	1,872

Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member]
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the Impax Agreement (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $2.1 million under the agreement.


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Ratable recognition of upfront payment		$	2,000	$	—	$	—
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Impax			106		—		—

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	2,106	$	—	$	—

Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member]
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the Santen Agreement (in thousands).


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Ratable recognition of upfront payment		$	15	$	—	$	—
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Santen			1		—		—

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	16	$	—	$	—

Agreement with Hospira, Inc. [Member]
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreement with Hospira (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $40.7 million under this agreement.


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Recognition of upfront payment (1)		$	—	$	—	$	21,758
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Hospira			—		—		1,968

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	—	$	—	$	23,726


	-1	The Company’s estimate of the term of its continuing performance obligation was revised in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the termination of the POSIDUR agreement by Hospira. As a result of the termination of the Hospira agreement for POSIDUR, the Company recorded as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $21.8 million deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement.
Agreement with Nycomed [Member]
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreement with Nycomed with regard to POSIDUR (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company from Nycomed as of December 31, 2014 were $37.3 million under this agreement. In addition, the cumulative aggregate payments paid by the Company to Nycomed were $9.0 million as of December 31, 2014.


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Recognition of upfront payment (1)		$	—	$	—	$	3,705
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Nycomed			—		—		—

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	—	$	—	$	3,705


	-1	The Company’s estimate of the term of its continuing performance obligation was revised in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the termination of the agreement by Nycomed. As a result of the termination of the Nycomed agreement for POSIDUR, the Company recorded as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $3.7 million deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement.
Agreement with Alpharma Ireland Limited [Member]
Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized	The following table provides a summary of collaborative research and development revenue recognized under the agreement with Pfizer with regard to ELADUR (in thousands). The cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company as of December 31, 2014 were $29.2 million under this agreement.


			Year Ended December 31,
			2014		2013		2012
	Recognition of upfront payment (1)		$	—	$	—	$	9,895
	Research and development expenses reimbursable by Pfizer			—		—		124

	Total collaborative research and development revenue		$	—	$	—	$	10,019


	-1	The Company’s estimate of the term of its continuing performance obligation was revised in the first quarter of 2012 as a result of the termination of the agreement by Pfizer. As a result of the termination of this agreement for ELADUR, the Company recorded as revenue during the first quarter of 2012 the remaining $9.9 million deferred revenue related to the upfront fee of the development and license agreement.

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill1

Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Acquired Intangible Assets	Intangible assets recorded in connection with the Company’s acquisitions consist of the following (in thousands):


		December 31, 2014
		Gross		Accumulated			Net
		Intangibles		Amortization			Intangibles
	Developed technology	$	3,600	$	(3,600	)	$	—
	Patents		591		(591	)		—
	Other intangible assets		3,260		(3,260	)		—

	Total	$	7,451	$	(7,451	)	$	—



		December 31, 2013
		Gross		Accumulated			Net
		Intangibles		Amortization			Intangibles
	Developed technology	$	3,600	$	(3,600	)	$	—
	Patents		591		(573	)		18
	Other intangible assets		3,260		(3,260	)		—

	Total	$	7,451	$	(7,433	)	$	18

Financial_Instruments_Tables

Financial Instruments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Financial Instruments (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements of Assets and Liabilities	The following table sets forth the fair value of the Company’s financial assets that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2014 (in thousands):


		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3			Total
	Money market funds	$	1,558	$	—	$	—		$	1,558
	Certificates of deposit		—		350		—			350
	Marketable equity security		155		—		—			155
	Commercial paper		—		1,250		—			1,250
	Corporate debt		—		7,740		—			7,740
	U.S. Government agencies		—		22,675		—			22,675

	Total	$	1,713	$	32,015	$	—		$	33,728

	The following table sets forth the fair value of our financial assets that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013 (in thousands):


		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3			Total
	Money market funds	$	34	$	—	$	—		$	34
	Certificates of deposit		—		450		—			450
	Commercial paper		—		1,249		—			1,249
	Corporate debt		—		3,258		—			3,258
	U.S. Government agencies		—		16,898		—			16,898

	Total	$	34	$	21,855	$	—		$	21,889

Summary of Available-for-Sale Securities	The following is a summary of available-for-sale securities as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):


		December 31, 2014
		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Estimated
		Cost		Gain		Loss			Fair
									Value
	Money market funds	$	1,558	$	—	$	—		$	1,558
	Certificates of deposit		350		—		—			350
	Marketable equity security		—		155		—			155
	Commercial paper		1,250		—		—			1,250
	Corporate debt		7,744		—		(4	)		7,740
	U.S. Government agencies		22,678		2		(5	)		22,675

		$	33,580	$	157	$	(9	)	$	33,728

	Reported as:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,558	$	—	$	—		$	1,558
	Short-term investments		29,867		157		(8	)		30,016
	Long-term investments		1,805		—		(1	)		1,804
	Long-term restricted investments		350		—		—			350

		$	33,580	$	157	$	(9	)	$	33,728



		December 31, 2013
		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized			Estimated
		Cost		Gain		Loss			Fair
									Value
	Money market funds	$	34	$	—	$	—		$	34
	Certificates of deposit		450		—		—			450
	Commercial paper		1,249		—		—			1,249
	Corporate debt		3,257		1		—			3,258
	U.S. Government agencies		16,898		1		(1	)		16,898

		$	21,888	$	2	$	(1	)	$	21,889

	Reported as:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	5,334	$	—	$	—		$	5,334
	Short-term investments		12,752		2		(1	)		12,753
	Long-term investments		3,352		—		—			3,352
	Long-term restricted investments		450		—		—			450

		$	21,888	$	2	$	(1	)	$	21,889

Summary of Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Available-for-Sale Securities by Contractual Maturity	The following is a summary of the cost and estimated fair value of available-for-sale securities at December 31, 2014, by contractual maturity (in thousands):


		December 31, 2014
		Amortized		Estimated
		Cost		Fair
				Value
	Mature in one year or less	$	30,217	$	30,366
	Mature after one year through five years		1,805		1,804

		$	32,022	$	32,170

Property_and_Equipment_Tables

Property and Equipment (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property and Equipment	Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Equipment	$	12,161		$	12,438
	Leasehold improvement		9,968			9,855
	Construction-in-progress		227			180

			22,356			22,473
	Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(20,607	)		(20,488	)

	Property and equipment, net	$	1,749		$	1,985

Commitments_Tables

Commitments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Commitments (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Text Block [Abstract]
Schedule of Future Operating Lease Minimum Payments	Future minimum payments under these noncancelable leases are as follows (in thousands):


	Year ending December 31,	Operating
	Year ending December 31,	Leases
	2015	$	1,941
	2016		1,970
	2017		2,000
	2018		1,948
	Thereafter		1,056

		$	8,915

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Future Maturities and Interest Payments under Term Loan	Future maturities and interest payments under the term loan as of December 31, 2014, are as follows (in thousands):


	2015	$	1,590
	2016		8,848
	2017		8,848
	2018		6,023

	Total minimum payments		25,309
	Less amount representing interest		(5,309	)

	Gross balance of long-term debt		20,000
	Less unamortized debt discount		(176	)

	Carrying value of long-term debt		19,824
	Less current portion of long-term debt		—

	Long-term debt, less current portion and unamortized debt discount	$	19,824

Stockholders_Equity_Tables

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]
Summary of Shares of Common Stock Reserved for Future Issuance	As of December 31, 2014, shares of common stock reserved for future issuance consisted of the following:


		December 31,
		2014
	Stock options outstanding		24,239,839
	Stock options available for grant		6,456,057
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan		129,965

			30,825,861

Summary of Stock Option Activity under all Stock-Based Compensation Plans	A summary of stock option activity under all stock-based compensation plans is as follows:


		Number of			Weighted			Weighted			Aggregate
		Options			Average			Average Remaining			Intrinsic
					Exercise			Contractual Term			Value
					Price Per Share			(in Years)			(in millions)
	Outstanding at December 31, 2011		20,465,064		$	3.55			5.65		$	—
	Options granted		3,418,287		$	0.79
	Options exercised		(179,067	)	$	0.78
	Options forfeited		(640,649	)	$	2.47
	Options expired		(2,161,479	)	$	4.37

	Outstanding at December 31, 2012		20,902,156		$	3.07			5.41		$	—
	Options granted		4,592,849		$	1.21
	Options exercised		(187,014	)	$	1.01
	Options forfeited		(94,055	)	$	1.38
	Options expired		(1,517,352	)	$	3.17

	Outstanding at December 31, 2013		23,696,584		$	2.73			5.45		$	5.2
	Options granted		3,747,428		$	1.94
	Options exercised		(300,602	)	$	0.99
	Options forfeited		(144,611	)	$	1.5
	Options expired		(2,758,960	)	$	2.95

	Outstanding at December 31, 2014		24,239,839		$	2.61			5.72		$	—

	Exercisable at December 31, 2014		20,458,476		$	2.8			5.21		$	—

	Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2014		23,920,208		$	2.62			5.68		$	—

Summary of Employee Stock-Based Compensation Cost that has been Included in Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)	The employee stock-based compensation cost that has been included in the statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) is shown as below (in thousands):


		Year ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Cost of product revenues	$	149		$	170		$	244
	Research and development		1,697			1,999			2,602
	Selling, general and administrative		1,234			1,257			1,474

		$	3,080		$	3,426		$	4,320

Summary of Assumptions Used to Estimate Fair Value of Options Granted and Shares Purchased	The Company used the following assumptions to estimate the fair value of options granted (including fully vested options issued in January 2014, February 2013 and February 2012) and shares purchased under its stock plans and employee stock purchase plan for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:


		Year ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Stock Options
	Risk-free rate		1.9-2.8	%		0.9-2.9	%		0.9-1.5	%
	Expected dividend yield		—			—			—
	Expected term (in years)		6.5-10.0			5.3-10.0			5.5-6.5
	Volatility		76-85	%		77-86	%		78-81	%
	Forfeiture rate		7.2	%		8.4	%		7.7	%


		Year ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan
	Risk-free rate		0.1	%		0.1-0.2	%		0.1-1.0	%
	Expected dividend yield		—			—			—
	Expected term (in years)		0.5			0.5			1.3
	Volatility		60-81	%		64-81	%		69-101	%
Summary of Stock Options Outstanding	The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding at December 31, 2014:


	Options Outstanding										Options Exercisable
	Range of	Number of			Weighted-			Weighted-			Number of		Weighted-
	Exercise Price	Options			Average			Average			Options		Average
		Outstanding			Remaining			Exercise			Exercisable		Exercise
					Contractual Life			Price					Price
					(In years)
	$0.73 – 0.74		22,500			7.25		$	0.73			14,218	$	0.73
	$0.78 – 0.78		2,561,000			7.09		$	0.78			2,076,981	$	0.78
	$0.82 – 1.20		441,105			8.05		$	1.02			426,355	$	1.02
	$1.21 – 1.21		3,706,502			8.06		$	1.21			2,763,690	$	1.21
	$1.24 – 2.04		1,231,890			8.71		$	1.39			440,033	$	1.36
	$2.09 – 2.09		4,057,631			7.61		$	2.09			2,639,168	$	2.09
	$2.13 – 2.22		2,506,564			5.02		$	2.18			2,506,564	$	2.18
	$2.25 – 3.26		4,214,457			5.03		$	3.15			4,097,402	$	3.15
	$3.29 – 4.85		2,434,135			2.16		$	4.19			2,430,010	$	4.19
	$4.87 – 6.32		3,064,055			2.06		$	5.62			3,064,055	$	5.62

	$0.73 – 6.32		24,239,839			5.72		$	2.61			20,458,476	$	2.8

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Reconciliation of Income Tax Expenses (Benefit)	The reconciliation of income tax expenses (benefit) at the statutory federal income tax rate of 34% to net income tax benefit included in the statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is as follows (in thousands):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	U.S. federal taxes provision (benefit) at statutory rate	$	(7,502	)	$	(7,184	)	$	5,516
	State taxes		—			—			—
	Change in valuation allowance		6,854			9,517			(7,208	)
	Stock-based compensation		1,139			375			1,688
	Change in deferreds		(2	)		(1,718	)		—
	Other		(465	)		(670	)		4

	Total income tax provision	$	24		$	320		$	—

Summary of Components of Company's Deferred Tax Assets	Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Net operating loss carryforwards	$	105,609		$	98,425
	Research and other credits		10,995			10,127
	Capitalized research and development expenses		456			498
	Deferred revenue		516			584
	Stock-based compensation		9,402			8,661
	Other		3,967			3,724

	Total deferred tax assets		130,945			122,019
	Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets		(130,945	)		(122,019	)
	Deferred tax liabilities—Intangibles		(405	)		(320	)

	Net deferred tax assets and liabilities	$	(405	)	$	(320	)

Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):


		December 31,
		2014			2013
	Balance at beginning of the year	$	5,252		$	4,777
	Increases (decrease) related to prior year tax positions		—			88
	Increases (decrease) related to current year tax positions		450			387
	Settlements		—			—
	Reductions due to lapse of applicable statute of limitations		—			—

	Balance at end of the year	$	5,702		$	5,252

Unaudited_Selected_Quarterly_F1

Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Selected Quarterly Financial Data
		First Quarter						Second Quarter						Third Quarter						Fourth Quarter
		2014			2013			2014			2013			2014			2013			2014			2013
	Revenue	$	6,293		$	4,153		$	4,581		$	3,918		$	4,258		$	2,966		$	4,269		$	4,289
	Net income (loss)	$	(3,600	)	$	(5,183	)	$	(5,478	)	$	(5,145	)	$	(7,092	)	$	(6,024	)	$	(5,940	)	$	(5,100	)
	Basic net income (loss) per share	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)
	Diluted net income (loss) per share	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.05	)

Summary_of_Significant_Account3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
	Segment	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
State of incorporation	Delaware
Date of incorporation	6-Feb-98
Highly liquid investments maturity period	90 days or less
Long-term investments maturity period	One year or beyond
Realized gains or losses on cash, cash equivalents and investments	$0
Collaborative research and development revenue			35,400,000
Cost of goods sold	5,686,000	4,837,000	4,654,000
Write-down of the cost basis of inventory	1,227,000	574,000	193,000
Minimum purchase commitment	500,000
Inventories	3,642,000	3,502,000
Long-lived assets, impairment losses	0
Number of operating segment	1
Options to purchase common stock excluded from computation of diluted net income (loss) per share	20	19.6	20.7
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Cost of goods sold	1,600,000
Write-down of the cost basis of inventory	1,100,000
Minimum purchase commitment	500,000
Inventories	1,200,000
Remaining unrecorded future purchase commitments	$2,000,000
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| Zogenix [Member] \| Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue	23.00%
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| Impax [Member] \| Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue	11.00%
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| Tolmar Inc. [Member] \| Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue		15.00%
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| Hospira Inc. [Member] \| Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue			45.00%
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| Pfizer Inc. [Member] \| Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue			22.00%
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| ALZET product line [Member] \| Product Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue	37.00%	48.00%	13.00%
Sales Revenue Net [Member] \| LACTEL product line [Member] \| Product Concentration Risk [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage of revenue accounted in Company's total revenue	19.00%	26.00%	7.00%
Minimum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Short-term investments maturity period	P90D
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	3 years
Acquired intangible assets, estimated useful life	4 years
Maximum [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Short-term investments maturity period	P1Y
Property and equipment, estimated useful life	5 years
Acquired intangible assets, estimated useful life	7 years

Summary_of_Significant_Account4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Summary of Total Revenue by Geographic Region (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue	$4,269	$4,258	$4,581	$6,293	$4,289	$2,966	$3,918	$4,153	$19,401	$15,326	$53,070
United States [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									15,532	11,087	44,687
Europe [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									1,986	2,089	6,285
Japan [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									898	1,104	1,151
Other [Member]
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]
Revenue									$985	$1,046	$947

Summary_of_Significant_Account5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Summary of Components of Inventories (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Inventory, Net [Abstract]
Raw materials	$1,242	$1,404
Work in-process	1,120	1,063
Finished goods	1,280	1,035
Total inventories	$3,642	$3,502

Summary_of_Significant_Account6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Summary of Numerators and Denominators in Calculation of Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) per Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Numerators:
Net income (loss)	($5,940)	($7,092)	($5,478)	($3,600)	($5,100)	($6,024)	($5,145)	($5,183)	($22,110)	($21,452)	$16,200
Denominators:
Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share									111,666	103,078	88,433
Effect of dilutive securities:
Dilution from stock options											150
Dilution from ESPP											6
Dilutive common shares											156
Weighted average shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share									111,666	103,078	88,589
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic									($0.20)	($0.21)	$0.18
Diluted	($0.05)	($0.06)	($0.05)	($0.03)	($0.05)	($0.06)	($0.05)	($0.05)	($0.20)	($0.21)	$0.18

Strategic_Agreements_Summary_o

Strategic Agreements - Summary of Collaborative Research and Development and Other Revenues Associated with Company's Major Third-Party Collaborators (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	$8,256	$3,590	$42,494
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	4,431	918	1,872
Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	2,106
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	1,359	750	750
Agreement with Pfizer [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	118	42	11,721
Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	16
Agreement with Hospira, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue			23,726
Agreement with Nycomed [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue			3,705
Agreements With Other Third Party Collaborators [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	$226	$1,880	$720

Strategic_Agreements_Summary_o1

Strategic Agreements - Summary of Collaborative Research and Development and Other Revenues Associated with Company's Major Third-Party Collaborators (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Amounts related to the ratable recognition of upfront fees	$255,000	$241,000	$312,000
Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Amounts related to the ratable recognition of upfront fees	2,000,000	0	0
Agreement with Pfizer [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Amounts related to the ratable recognition of upfront fees	0	0	9,900,000
Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Amounts related to the ratable recognition of upfront fees	15,000	0	0
Agreement with Hospira, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Amounts related to the ratable recognition of upfront fees	0	0	21,758,000
Agreement with Nycomed [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Amounts related to the ratable recognition of upfront fees	$0	$0	$3,705,000

Strategic_Agreements_Additiona

Strategic Agreements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	2 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 18, 2015
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	$243,500,000
Milestone payments received	0
Subsequent event [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Milestone payments received		0
Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	75,500,000
Sales-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	168,000,000
Early stage clinical testing [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Development-based milestones	5,000,000
Late stage clinical testing [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Development-based milestones	12,300,000
Regulatory filings [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Development-based milestones	20,200,000
Regulatory approvals [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Development-based milestones	$38,000,000

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			2 Months Ended	145 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2005	Oct. 31, 2003	Dec. 31, 2002	Feb. 18, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2005	Oct. 31, 2003	Drug	Drug	Dec. 31, 2014
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	$8,256,000	$3,590,000	$42,494,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved	243,500,000
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Number of specified opioid drugs						4
Upfront license fee	1,000,000			100,000	100,000	900,000
Performance milestone payments based on successful development	5,100,000							5,100,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved	1,700,000							1,700,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	1,359,000	750,000	750,000
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company	37,700,000
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member] \| Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Performance milestone payments based on successful development	5,100,000							5,100,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved	1,700,000
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member] \| Sales-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Performance milestone payments based on successful development	0							0
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Percentage of royalty received for REMOXY and other licensed products	6.00%
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Percentage of royalty received for REMOXY and other licensed products	11.50%
Agreement with Pain Therapeutics, Inc. [Member] \| Subsequent event [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Number of specified opioid drugs							2
Agreement with Pfizer [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	118,000	42,000	11,721,000
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company								$7,100,000

Strategic_Agreements_Long_Term

Strategic Agreements - Long Term Supply Agreement with King - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Product revenue, net	$11,145,000	$11,736,000	$10,576,000
Cost of goods sold	5,686,000	4,837,000	4,654,000
Agreement with Pfizer [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Product revenue, net	33,000	273,000	48,000
Cost of goods sold	$0	$165,000	$33,000

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement1

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	41 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Jul. 31, 2011
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Revenue recognition milestone achieved	$243,500,000
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	103,000,000	103,000,000
Patent royalty term	15 years
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company	14,300,000
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member] \| Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	28,000,000	28,000,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved		0
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member] \| Sales-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	75,000,000	75,000,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved		0
Up-front Payment Arrangement [Member] \| Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Non-refundable upfront fee	$2,250,000	$2,250,000	$2,250,000

Strategic_Agreements_Summary_o2

Strategic Agreements - Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	$8,256,000	$3,590,000	$42,494,000
Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Ratable recognition of upfront payment	2,000,000	0	0
Research and development expenses reimbursable by the Company	106,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	2,106,000
Agreement with Zogenix, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Ratable recognition of upfront payment	255,000	241,000	312,000
Research and development expenses reimbursable by the Company	4,176,000	677,000	1,560,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	4,431,000	918,000	1,872,000
Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Ratable recognition of upfront payment	15,000	0	0
Research and development expenses reimbursable by the Company	1,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue	16,000
Agreement with Hospira, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Ratable recognition of upfront payment	0	0	21,758,000
Research and development expenses reimbursable by the Company			1,968,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue			23,726,000
Agreement with Nycomed [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Ratable recognition of upfront payment	0	0	3,705,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue			3,705,000
Agreement with Alpharma Ireland Limited [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Ratable recognition of upfront payment			9,895,000
Research and development expenses reimbursable by the Company			124,000
Total collaborative research and development and other revenue			$10,019,000

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement2

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 03, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Jan. 03, 2014
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Revenue recognition milestone achieved		$243,500,000
Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Non-refundable upfront fee	2,000,000
Future milestone payments	61,000,000		61,000,000
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company		2,100,000
Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member] \| Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	31,000,000		31,000,000
Agreement with Impax Laboratories, Inc. [Member] \| Sales-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	30,000,000		30,000,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved		$0

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement3

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 11, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 11, 2014
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Revenue recognition milestone achieved		$243,500,000
Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Upfront license fee	2,000,000
Future milestone payments	76,000,000		76,000,000
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company		2,000,000
Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member] \| Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	13,000,000		13,000,000
Agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Member] \| Commercialization-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments	63,000,000		63,000,000
Revenue recognition milestone achieved		$0

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement4

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Hospira, Inc. - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Deferred revenue upfront fee	$21.80
Agreement with Hospira, Inc. [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Non-refundable upfront fee			27.5
Deferred revenue upfront fee		21.8
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company			$40.70

Strategic_Agreements_Summary_o3

Strategic Agreements - Summary of Collaborative Research and Development Revenue Recognized (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2012
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Deferred revenue upfront fee	$21.80
Agreement with Nycomed [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Deferred revenue upfront fee	3.7
Agreement with Alpharma Ireland Limited [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Deferred revenue upfront fee	$9.90

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement5

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Nycomed - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments		$243,500,000
Deferred revenue upfront fee	21,800,000
Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments		75,500,000
Agreement with Nycomed [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Upfront license fee		14,000,000
Deferred revenue upfront fee	3,700,000
Research and development expenses		9,000,000
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company		37,300,000
Agreement with Nycomed [Member] \| License agreement terms [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Research and development expenses		0	0	0
Agreement with Nycomed [Member] \| Development-Based Milestones [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Future milestone payments		$8,000,000

Strategic_Agreements_Agreement6

Strategic Agreements - Agreement with Alpharma Ireland Limited - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Deferred revenue upfront fee	$21,800,000
Agreement with Alpharma Ireland Limited [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Upfront license fee		20,000,000
Deferred revenue upfront fee	9,900,000
Cumulative aggregate payments received by the Company		$29,200,000

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill2

Intangible Assets and Goodwill - Summary of Acquired Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Intangibles	$7,451	$7,451
Accumulated Amortization	-7,451	-7,433
Net Intangibles		18
Developed technology [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Intangibles	3,600	3,600
Accumulated Amortization	-3,600	-3,600
Patents [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Intangibles	591	591
Accumulated Amortization	-591	-573
Net Intangibles		18
Other intangible assets [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross Intangibles	3,260	3,260
Accumulated Amortization	($3,260)	($3,260)

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill3

Intangible Assets and Goodwill - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net amount of intangible assets	$0
Goodwill	6,399,000	6,399,000
Goodwill impairment	$0	$0	$0
Minimum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Acquired intangible assets, estimated useful life	4 years
Maximum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Acquired intangible assets, estimated useful life	7 years

Financial_Instruments_Fair_Val

Financial Instruments - Fair Value Measurements of Assets and Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	$33,728	$21,889
Money market funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	1,558	34
Certificates of deposit [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	350	450
Marketable equity security [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	155
Commercial paper [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	1,250	1,249
Corporate debt [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	7,740	3,258
U.S. Government agencies [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	22,675	16,898
Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	1,713	34
Level 1 [Member] \| Money market funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	1,558	34
Level 1 [Member] \| Marketable equity security [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	155
Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	32,015	21,855
Level 2 [Member] \| Certificates of deposit [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	350	450
Level 2 [Member] \| Commercial paper [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	1,250	1,249
Level 2 [Member] \| Corporate debt [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	7,740	3,258
Level 2 [Member] \| U.S. Government agencies [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	$22,675	$16,898

Financial_Instruments_Summary_

Financial Instruments - Summary of Available-for-Sale Securities (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	$33,580	$21,888
Unrealized Gain	157	2
Unrealized Loss	-9	-1
Estimated Fair Value	33,728	21,889
Money market funds [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	1,558	34
Estimated Fair Value	1,558	34
Certificates of deposit [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	350	450
Estimated Fair Value	350	450
Marketable equity security [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Gain	155
Estimated Fair Value	155
Corporate debt [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	7,744	3,257
Unrealized Gain		1
Unrealized Loss	-4
Estimated Fair Value	7,740	3,258
Commercial paper [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	1,250	1,249
Estimated Fair Value	1,250	1,249
U.S. Government agencies [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	22,678	16,898
Unrealized Gain	2	1
Unrealized Loss	-5	-1
Estimated Fair Value	22,675	16,898
Cash and cash equivalents [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	1,558	5,334
Estimated Fair Value	1,558	5,334
Short-term investments [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	29,867	12,752
Unrealized Gain	157	2
Unrealized Loss	-8	-1
Estimated Fair Value	30,016	12,753
Long-term restricted investments [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	350	450
Estimated Fair Value	350	450
Long-term investments [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	1,805	3,352
Unrealized Loss	-1
Estimated Fair Value	$1,804	$3,352

Financial_Instruments_Summary_1

Financial Instruments - Summary of Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Available-for-Sale Securities by Contractual Maturity (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Mature in one year or less, Amortized Cost	$30,217
Mature after one year through five years, Amortized Cost	1,805
Amortized Cost	32,022
Mature in one year or less, Estimated Fair Value	30,366
Mature after one year through five years, Estimated Fair Value	1,804
Estimated Fair Value	$32,170

Financial_Instruments_Addition

Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Unrealized loss of securities	$0

Property_and_Equipment_Propert

Property and Equipment - Property and Equipment (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$22,356	$22,473
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	-20,607	-20,488
Property and equipment, net	1,749	1,985
Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	12,161	12,438
Leasehold improvement [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	9,968	9,855
Construction-in-progress [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$227	$180

Property_and_Equipment_Additio

Property and Equipment - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$582,000	$541,000	$948,000
Amortization expense	17,000	9,000	9,000
Restoration cost	$650,000

Restricted_Investments_Additio

Restricted Investments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Restricted Investments [Line Items]
Restricted investments in connection with deposits on letters of credit	$350,000	$450,000
Alabama and California [Member]
Restricted Investments [Line Items]
Restricted investments in connection with deposits on letters of credit	$350,000	$450,000

Commitments_Additional_Informa

Commitments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Commitments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Rent expenses of operating leases	$1,800,000	$1,500,000	$1,600,000
Remaining minimum purchase commitments	500,000
Accrued loss on purchase obligation	$500,000

Commitments_Schedule_of_Future

Commitments - Schedule of Future Operating Lease Minimum Payments (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Leases [Abstract]
2015	$1,941
2016	1,970
2017	2,000
2018	1,948
Thereafter	1,056
Total operating leases future minimum payments	$8,915

LongTerm_Debt_Additional_Infor

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from long term debt, net	$19,786,000
Oxford Finance LLC [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Secured term loan	20,000,000
Term loan, maturity date	1-Jul-18
Interest rate on term loan	7.95%
Percentage of an additional payment equal to principal amount	8.00%
Facility fee paid at final payment	150,000
Term loan repayment description	The term loan repayment schedule provides for interest only payments for the first 18 months, followed by consecutive equal monthly payments of principal and interest in arrears starting on February 1, 2016
Proceeds from long term debt, net	19,800,000
Debt offering/issuance costs	$1,600,000
Debt instrument, covenants in compliance	The Company was in compliance with all material covenants under the Loan Agreement and there had been no material adverse change
Oxford Finance LLC [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of prepayment fee	1.00%
Oxford Finance LLC [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Percentage of prepayment fee	3.00%

LongTerm_Debt_Schedule_of_Futu

Long-Term Debt - Schedule of Future Maturities and Interest Payments under Term Loan (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
Future maturities and interest payments under the term loan:
2015	$1,590
2016	8,848
2017	8,848
2018	6,023
Total minimum payments	25,309
Total minimum payments	25,309
Less amount representing interest	-5,309
Gross balance of long-term debt	20,000
Gross balance of long-term debt	20,000
Less unamortized debt discount	-176
Carrying value of long-term debt	19,824
Carrying value of long-term debt:
Carrying value of long-term debt	19,824
Less current portion of long-term debt	0
Long-term debt, less current portion and unamortized debt discount	$19,824

Stockholders_Equity_Common_Sto

Stockholders' Equity - Common Stock - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing net of issuance cost			2,907,664
Common stock price per share	$1.40	$0.90				$0.90
Net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions offering expenses	$10,675,000	$11,617,000	$4,618,000	$4,618,000	$10,675,000	$11,617,000
Securities offered					100,900,000
Common stock weighted average price			$1.65
Cantor Fitzgerald Co [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Securities offered					$25,000,000
Common stock [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing net of issuance cost	8,214,287			2,908,000	8,214,000	14,000,000

Stockholders_Equity_2000_Stock

Stockholders' Equity - 2000 Stock Plan (Incentive Stock Plan) - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2000	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost	2,907,664
Reserved common stock for issuance		30,825,861
Options exercised, shares		3,747,428	4,592,849	3,418,287
Shares available for future grant		6,456,057
Common stock outstanding		24,239,839	23,696,584	20,902,156			20,465,064
2000 Stock Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Maximum expiration term of stock appreciation rights		10 years
Extended term of stock plan to the date		10 years
Issuance of common stock upon equity financing, net of issuance cost		5,500,000
Reserved common stock for issuance		29,796,500
Plan expiry date		30-Jun-20
Options exercised, shares					70,000
Option plan vesting period					10 years
Options granted with different vesting terms		5 years
Minimum percentage of total combined voting power of stock		10.00%
Minimum exercise price as percentage of fair market value to holder of more than 10% voting power		110.00%
Minimum exercise price as percentage of fair market value to holder of 10% or less voting power		100.00%
Shares available for future grant		6,456,057
Common stock outstanding		23,763,839
2000 Stock Plan [Member] \| Non-employee director [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options exercised, shares						30,000
2000 Stock Plan [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option exercisable period					1 year
2000 Stock Plan [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock option exercisable period					2 years

Stockholders_Equity_2000_Direc

Stockholders' Equity - 2000 Directors' Stock Option Plan - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2005	Mar. 31, 2000	Jun. 30, 2002	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of shares vested for annual option	23,920,208
Options exercised, shares	3,747,428	4,592,849	3,418,287
Common stock outstanding	24,239,839	23,696,584	20,902,156				20,465,064
Shares available for future grant	6,456,057
2000 Directors' Stock Option Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options shares reserved for issuance				925,000	300,000	500,000
Vesting percentage per year					33.33%
Number of shares vested for annual option					5,000
Options exercised, shares				12,000	5,000	30,000
Stock option increase				425,000		200,000
Common stock outstanding	476,000
Shares available for future grant	0
2000 Directors' Stock Option Plan [Member] \| Non-employee director [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options shares reserved for issuance					20,000
Options exercised, shares					20,000

Stockholders_Equity_2000_Emplo

Stockholders' Equity - 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Feb. 28, 2013	Feb. 29, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share available for future grant	6,456,057
Common stock, shares issued	113,733,000	110,409,000
Options granted with exercise prices lower than fair market	$0	$0	$0
Excess tax benefits recognized for tax deductions on stock based compensation	0
Incremental tax benefits recognized from stock options exercised	0
2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee stock purchase plan	24 months
Exercise price as percentage of fair market value minimum	85.00%
Stock option increase			250,000
Extended term of stock plan to the date			10 years
Options shares reserved for issuance	2,200,000
Share available for future grant	129,965			1,100,000	1,700,000	966,000
Common stock, shares issued	2,070,035
Intrinsic value of options exercised	$178,000	$77,000	$103,000
Weighted-average grant-date fair value of all options granted with exercise prices	$1.53	$0.85	$0.54

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Shares of Common Stock Reserved for Future Issuance (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jan. 31, 2014	Feb. 28, 2013	Feb. 29, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options outstanding	24,239,839	23,696,584	20,902,156	20,465,064
Stock options available for grant	6,456,057
Shares of common stock reserved for future issuance	30,825,861
2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options available for grant	129,965				1,100,000	1,700,000	966,000
Shares of common stock reserved for future issuance	129,965

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of1

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Stock Option Activity under all Stock-Based Compensation Plans (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Outstanding, Number of Options, beginning balance	23,696,584	20,902,156	20,465,064
Options granted, Number of Options	3,747,428	4,592,849	3,418,287
Options exercised, Number of Options	-300,602	-187,014	-179,067
Options forfeited, Number of Options	-144,611	-94,055	-640,649
Options expired, Number of Options	-2,758,960	-1,517,352	-2,161,479
Outstanding, Number of Options, ending balance	24,239,839	23,696,584	20,902,156	20,465,064
Outstanding, Number of Options, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share, beginning balance	$2.73	$3.07	$3.55
Exercisable, Number of Options	20,458,476
Options granted, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share	$1.94	$1.21	$0.79
Vested and expected to vest, Number of Options	23,920,208
Options exercised, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share	$0.99	$1.01	$0.78
Options forfeited, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share	$1.50	$1.38	$2.47
Options expired, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share	$2.95	$3.17	$4.37
Outstanding, Number of Options, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share, ending balance	$2.61	$2.73	$3.07	$3.55
Exercisable, Number of Options, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share	$2.80
Vested and expected to vest, Number of Options, Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share	$2.62
Outstanding, Number of Options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	5 years 8 months 19 days	5 years 5 months 12 days	5 years 4 months 28 days	5 years 7 months 24 days
Exercisable, Number of Options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	5 years 2 months 16 days
Vested and expected to vest, Number of Options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	5 years 8 months 5 days
Outstanding, Number of Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value		$5.20
Exercisable, Number of Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	0
Vested and expected to vest, Number of Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value	$0

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of2

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Employee Stock-Based Compensation Cost that has been Included in Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Total employee stock-based compensation cost	$3,080	$3,426	$4,320
Cost of product revenues [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Total employee stock-based compensation cost	149	170	244
Research and development [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Total employee stock-based compensation cost	1,697	1,999	2,602
Selling, general and administrative [Member]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]
Total employee stock-based compensation cost	$1,234	$1,257	$1,474

Stockholders_Equity_Determinin

Stockholders' Equity - Determining Fair Value - Additional Information (Detail) (2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected dividend yield in Black-Scholes option valuation model	$0
Shares purchased under Company's employee stock purchase plan	115,412	128,433	153,730
Recognition of expenses on shares purchased under employee stock purchase plan	43,000	56,000	36,000
Expected total unrecognized compensation costs related to nonvested stock options	3,400,000
Weighted average term of unrecognized stock-based compensation expense	2 years 4 months 24 days
Cash received from option exercises under stock-based compensation plans	$299,000	$188,000	$140,000

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of3

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Assumptions Used to Estimate Fair Value of Options Granted and Shares Purchased (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free rate, minimum	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%
Risk-free rate, maximum		0.20%	1.00%
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Expected term (in years)	6 months	6 months	1 year 3 months 18 days
Volatility, minimum	60.00%	64.00%	69.00%
Volatility, maximum	81.00%	81.00%	101.00%
Stock Option Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk-free rate, minimum	1.90%	0.90%	0.90%
Risk-free rate, maximum	2.80%	2.90%	1.50%
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Volatility, minimum	76.00%	77.00%	78.00%
Volatility, maximum	85.00%	86.00%	81.00%
Forfeiture rate	7.20%	8.40%	7.70%
Stock Option Plan [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected term (in years)	6 years 6 months	5 years 3 months 18 days	5 years 6 months
Stock Option Plan [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expected term (in years)	10 years	10 years	6 years 6 months

Stockholders_Equity_Summary_of4

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Stock Options Outstanding (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Range of Exercise Price, $0.73 - 0.73 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$0.73
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$0.74
Number of Options Outstanding	22,500
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	7 years 3 months
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$0.73
Number of Options Exercisable	14,218
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$0.73
Range of Exercise Price, $0.74 - 0.78 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$0.78
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$0.78
Number of Options Outstanding	2,561,000
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	7 years 1 month 2 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$0.78
Number of Options Exercisable	2,076,981
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$0.78
Range of Exercise Price, $0.82 - 1.20 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$0.82
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$1.20
Number of Options Outstanding	441,105
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	8 years 18 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.02
Number of Options Exercisable	426,355
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.02
Range of Exercise Price, $1.21 - 1.21 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$1.21
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$1.21
Number of Options Outstanding	3,706,502
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	8 years 22 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.21
Number of Options Exercisable	2,763,690
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.21
Range of Exercise Price, $1.24 - 2.13 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$1.24
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$2.04
Number of Options Outstanding	1,231,890
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	8 years 8 months 16 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.39
Number of Options Exercisable	440,033
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$1.36
Range of Exercise Price, $2.18 - 2.18 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$2.09
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$2.09
Number of Options Outstanding	4,057,631
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	7 years 7 months 10 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.09
Number of Options Exercisable	2,639,168
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.09
Range of Exercise Price, $2.22 - 3.11 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$2.13
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$2.22
Number of Options Outstanding	2,506,564
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	5 years 7 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.18
Number of Options Exercisable	2,506,564
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.18
Range of Exercise Price, $3.12 - 3.26 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$2.25
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$3.26
Number of Options Outstanding	4,214,457
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	5 years 11 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$3.15
Number of Options Exercisable	4,097,402
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$3.15
Range of Exercise Price, $3.29 - 4.43 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$3.29
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$4.85
Number of Options Outstanding	2,434,135
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	2 years 1 month 28 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$4.19
Number of Options Exercisable	2,430,010
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$4.19
Range of Exercise Price, $4.45 - 6.32 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$4.87
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$6.32
Number of Options Outstanding	3,064,055
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	2 years 22 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$5.62
Number of Options Exercisable	3,064,055
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$5.62
Range of Exercise Price, $0.73 - 6.32 [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, minimum	$0.73
Options Outstanding, Range of Exercise Price, maximum	$6.32
Number of Options Outstanding	24,239,839
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life(In years)	5 years 8 months 19 days
Options Outstanding, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.61
Number of Options Exercisable	20,458,476
Options Exercisable, Weighted-Average Exercise Price	$2.80

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Deferred tax liability	$405,000	$320,000	$0
Income tax expenses related to unrealized gain on a marketable equity security	61,000
Deferred income tax provision	85,000	320,000
Statutory federal income tax rate	34.00%	34.00%	34.00%
Total income tax provision	24,000	320,000	0
Increase in valuation allowance of net deferred tax assets	8,900,000	11,700,000	10,700,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	5,702,000	5,252,000	4,777,000
Interest and penalty expense related to unrecognized tax benefits	0	0	0
Federal [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards for income tax purposes	276,900,000
Tax carryforwards expire date	2019 through 2034
Interest and other income (expenses) [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Deferred income tax provision	24,000	320,000
State [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforwards for income tax purposes	204,100,000
Tax carryforwards expire date	2015 through 2034
Research [Member] \| Federal [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Research and development tax credits	9,100,000
Tax carryforwards expire date	2018 through 2034
Research [Member] \| State [Member]
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items]
Research and development tax credits	$9,900,000

Income_Taxes_Reconciliation_of

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Income Tax Expenses (Benefit) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Amount [Abstract]
U.S. federal taxes provision (benefit) at statutory rate	($7,502,000)	($7,184,000)	$5,516,000
State taxes	0	0	0
Change in valuation allowance	6,854,000	9,517,000	-7,208,000
Stock-based compensation	1,139,000	375,000	1,688,000
Change in deferreds	-2,000	-1,718,000
Other	-465,000	-670,000	4,000
Total income tax provision	$24,000	$320,000	$0

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Compon

Income Taxes - Summary of Components of Company's Deferred Tax Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Components of Deferred Tax Assets [Abstract]
Net operating loss carryforwards	$105,609,000	$98,425,000
Research and other credits	10,995,000	10,127,000
Capitalized research and development expenses	456,000	498,000
Deferred revenue	516,000	584,000
Stock-based compensation	9,402,000	8,661,000
Other	3,967,000	3,724,000
Total deferred tax assets	130,945,000	122,019,000
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	-130,945,000	-122,019,000
Deferred tax liabilities-Intangibles	-405,000	-320,000
Net deferred tax assets and liabilities	($405,000)	($320,000)	$0

Income_Taxes_Reconciliation_of1

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Excluding Amounts Pertaining to Examined Tax Returns [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of the year	$5,252	$4,777
Increases (decrease) related to prior year tax positions		88
Increases (decrease) related to current year tax positions	450	387
Settlements	0	0
Reductions due to lapse of applicable statute of limitations	0	0
Balance at end of the year	$5,702	$5,252

Reduction_in_Force_Additional_

Reduction in Force - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Feb. 29, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012
	People	Mar. 31, 2012
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Reduction in size of workforce	15
Percentage reduction in size of workforce	12.00%
Severance costs		$336,000
Research and development [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance costs		195,000
Selling, general and administrative [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Severance costs		$141,000

Unaudited_Selected_Quarterly_F2

Unaudited Selected Quarterly Financial Data - Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Quarterly Financial Data [Abstract]
Revenue	$4,269	$4,258	$4,581	$6,293	$4,289	$2,966	$3,918	$4,153	$19,401	$15,326	$53,070
Net income (loss)	($5,940)	($7,092)	($5,478)	($3,600)	($5,100)	($6,024)	($5,145)	($5,183)	($22,110)	($21,452)	$16,200
Basic net income (loss) per share	($0.05)	($0.06)	($0.05)	($0.03)	($0.05)	($0.06)	($0.05)	($0.05)
Diluted net income (loss) per share	($0.05)	($0.06)	($0.05)	($0.03)	($0.05)	($0.06)	($0.05)	($0.05)	($0.20)	($0.21)	$0.18

Schedule_IIValuation_and_Quali1

Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Detail) (Allowance for doubtful accounts [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Allowance for doubtful accounts [Member]
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Line Items]
Balance at beginning of the year	$144	$154	$98
Provision	88	-20	73
Recoveries/Write- Offs	-21	10	-17
Balance at end of the year	$211	$144	$154