SELLAS Life Sciences (SLS) 10-Q 11 Aug 14 2014 Q2 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jul. 31, 2014
Document Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'Galena Biopharma, Inc.	'
Trading Symbol	'GALE	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001390478	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Accelerated Filer	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Document Period End Date	30-Jun-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q2	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	118,205,165

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$39,162	$47,787
Restricted cash	200	200
Accounts Receivable, Net, Current	2,152	3,683
Inventories	433	386
Prepaid expenses	1,737	1,399
Total current assets	43,684	53,455
Equipment and furnishings, net	623	665
In-process research and development	12,864	12,864
Abstral rights	14,784	14,979
GALE-401 rights	2,315	0
Goodwill	5,898	5,898
Deposits and other assets	108	115
Total assets	80,276	87,976
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	2,036	2,660
Accrued expense and other current liabilities	11,789	8,667
Current maturities of capital lease obligations	6	6
Fair value of warrants potentially settleable in cash	15,506	48,965
Current portion of long-term debt	4,076	2,149
Total current liabilities	33,413	62,447
Capital lease obligations, net of current maturities	19	26
Deferred tax liability, non-current	5,053	5,053
Contingent purchase price consideration, net of current portion	7,477	6,821
Long-term debt, net of current portion	6,003	7,743
Total liabilities	51,965	82,090
Commitments and contingencies	'	'
Stockholders' equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding	'	'
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized, 118,812,687 shares issued and 118,137,687 shares outstanding at June 30, 2014; 110,100,701 shares issued and 109,425,701 shares outstanding at December 31, 2013	11	10
Additional paid-in capital	233,501	188,600
Accumulated deficit	201,352	178,875
Less treasury shares at cost, 675,000 shares	-3,849	-3,849
Total stockholders' equity	28,311	5,886
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$80,276	$87,976

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE1

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value (usd per share)	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	'	'
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	'	'
Common stock, par value (usd per share)	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	200,000,000	200,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	118,700,812	110,100,701
Common stock, shares outstanding	118,025,812	109,425,701
Treasury stock, shares	675,000	675,000

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Income Statement [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Net revenue	$2,331	$0	$4,504	$0
Costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Cost of revenue (excluding amortization of certain acquired intangible assets)	347	0	678	0
Research and development	8,069	5,276	14,839	10,357
Selling, general, and administrative	9,600	2,710	16,430	4,240
Amortization of certain acquired intangible assets	98	0	189	0
Total costs and expenses	18,114	7,986	32,136	14,597
Operating Income (Loss)	-15,783	-7,986	-27,632	-14,597
Other income (expense):	'	'	'	'
Change in fair value of warrants potentially settleable in cash	-3,353	-518	6,439	-5,521
Interest income (expense), net	-314	-186	-628	-181
Other income (expense)	-491	634	'	'
Other Income	-491	634	-656	188
Total other income (expense)	-4,158	-70	5,155	-5,514
Loss before income taxes	-19,941	-8,056	-22,477	-20,111
Income tax expense (benefit)	0	-1,541	0	1,221
Net loss	-19,941	-9,597	-22,477	-18,890
Net loss per common share:	'	'	'	'
Basic and diluted net loss per share (usd per share)	($0.17)	($0.11)	($0.19)	($0.23)
Weighted-average common shares outstanding: basic and diluted	118,083,988	83,656,184	117,154,099	83,331,059
Comprehensive loss	'	'	'	'
Net loss	-19,941	-9,597	-22,477	-18,890
Reclassification of unrealized gain upon sale of marketable securities	0	-795	0	-795
Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities	0	-3,128	'	3,903
Tax effect of reclassification of unrealized gain upon sale of marketable securities	0	312	0	312
Tax effect of unrealized gain on marketable securities	0	1,229	0	-1,533
Total comprehensive loss	($19,941)	($11,979)	($22,477)	($17,003)

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME1

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (USD $)	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Accumulated Deficit [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$5,886	$10	$188,600	($178,875)	($3,849)
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013	'	110,100,701	'	'	'
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of warrants, shares	'	5,463,227	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of warrants	37,605	1	37,604	'	'
Issuance of common stock in connection with employee stock purchase plan, shares	'	48,402	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock in connection with employee stock purchase plan	91	'	91	'	'
Stock based compensation for directors and employees	2,978	'	2,978	'	'
Stock based compensation for services	158	'	158	'	'
Exercise of stock options, shares	3,328,000	3,200,357	'	'	'
Exercise of stock options	4,070	'	4,070	'	'
Net loss	-22,477	'	'	-22,477	'
Ending balance at Jun. 30, 2014	$28,311	$11	$233,501	($201,352)	($3,849)
Ending balance, shares at Jun. 30, 2014	'	118,812,687	'	'	'

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities:	'	'
Net loss	($22,477)	($18,890)
Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:	'	'
Depreciation and amortization expense	461	41
Gain on sale of marketable securities	0	578
Deferred taxes	0	-1,221
Non-cash stock-based compensation	3,136	615
Fair value of common stock warrants issued in exchange for services	'	0
Fair value of common stock issued in exchange for services	0	262
Change in fair value of common stock warrants	-6,439	5,521
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	656	387
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:	'	'
Accounts receivable	1,531	0
Inventories	-47	-352
Prepaid expenses and other assets	-339	151
Accounts payable	-624	116
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	3,122	1,494
Net cash used in operating activities	-21,020	-12,454
Cash flows from investing activities:	'	'
Change in restricted cash	0	-1
Cash paid for acquisition of Abstral rights	0	-10,083
Cash paid for acquisition of GALE-401 rights	-2,315	0
Proceeds from sale of marketable securities	0	578
Cash paid for purchase of equipment and furnishings	-29	-450
Net cash used in investing activities	-2,344	-9,956
Cash flows from financing activities:	'	'
Net proceeds from exercise of common stock options	4,070	'
Net proceeds from exercise of common stock warrants	10,585	630
Common stock issued in connection with ESPP	91	44
Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	9,865
Repayments of capital lease obligations	-7	-17
Net cash provided by financing activities	14,739	10,522
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	-8,625	-11,888
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	47,787	32,807
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	39,162	'
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:	'	'
Cash received during the periods for interest	10	'
Cash paid during the periods for interest	423	53
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:	'	'
Future payment for Abstral rights included in accrued expenses	0	5,000
Reclassification of warrant liabilities upon exercise	-27,020	-1,207
Issuance Of Common Stock In Settlement Of Contingent Purchase Consideration Milestone	0	1,000
Change in fair value of marketable securities	$0	$3,108

Business_and_Basis_of_Presenta

Business and Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Business and Basis of Presentation	'
	Business and Basis of Presentation
	Overview
	Galena Biopharma, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” “Galena” or the “company”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative, targeted treatments that address major unmet medical needs to advance cancer care. Our strategy is to build value for patients and shareholders by establishing and expanding our commercial capabilities, developing novel cancer immunotherapies, and expanding the breadth, depth, and pace of our pipeline.
	Establishing and Expanding Commercial Capabilities
	Our first commercial product, Abstral® (fentanyl) Sublingual Tablets, is approved for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) which affects an estimated 40%-80% of all cancer patients. Abstral is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as a sublingual (under the tongue) tablet for the management of breakthrough pain in patients with cancer, 18 years of age and older, who are already receiving, and who are tolerant to, opioid therapy for their persistent baseline cancer pain. The Abstral formulation delivers the analgesic power and increased bioavailability of micronized fentanyl in a sublingual tablet which is designed to dissolve under the tongue in seconds, provide relief of breakthrough pain within minutes, and match the duration of the pain episode. Abstral is a transmucosal immediate release fentanyl (TIRF) product with product class oversight by the TIRF Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) access program. Galena manufactures and markets Abstral in the United States through its commercial organization.
	In July 2014 we expanded our commercial portfolio through the licensing from MonoSol Rx, LLC (MonoSol”) of our second commercial product, Zuplenz® (ondansetron) Oral Soluble Film, which is approved by the FDA in adult patients for the prevention of highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV), and post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Zuplenz is also approved in pediatric patients for moderately emetogenic CINV. Nausea and vomiting are two of the most common side-effects experienced by patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation, as well as post-surgery patients. It is estimated that up to 90% of chemotherapy and up to 80% of radiotherapy patients will experience CINV and RINV, respectively.
	Zuplenz utilizes MonoSol’s proprietary PharmFilm® technology, an oral soluble film that dissolves on the tongue in less than thirty seconds. This eliminates the burden of swallowing pills during periods of emesis and in cases of oral irritation, therefore increasing patient adherence and reducing emergency room visits and hospitalization due to a lack of patient compliance or the patient's inability to keep the medication down without vomiting. The active pharmaceutical ingredient in Zuplenz, ondansetron, belongs to a class of medications called serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and works by blocking the action of serotonin, a natural substance that may cause nausea and vomiting. MonoSol will exclusively manufacture Zuplenz for marketing by Galena in the United States through its expanded commercial organization.
	Developing Novel Cancer Immunotherapies
	Galena is developing peptide vaccine (off-the-shelf) cancer immunotherapies, which address major patient populations of cancer survivors to prevent recurrence of their cancers. These therapies work by harnessing the patient’s own immune system to seek out and attack residual cancer cells. Using peptide immunogens has many clinical advantages, including an excellent safety profile, as these drugs lack the toxicities typical of most cancer therapies. They also evoke long-lasting protection through immune system activation and convenient mode of delivery. Our peptide vaccines are delivered with the immune adjuvant, recombinant human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF).
	Our lead immunotherapy product candidate, NeuVaxTM (nelipepimut-S) is the immunodominant nonapeptide derived from the extracellular domain of the HER2 protein, a well-established target for therapeutic intervention in breast carcinoma. In this case, approximately 25% of resectable node-positive breast cancer patients, despite having no evidence of disease following surgery and chemo/radiation therapy, will still relapse within three years. Increased presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) indicate decreased Disease Free Survival (DFS) and Overall Survival (OS), suggesting a dormancy of isolated micrometastases that over time lead to recurrence. The nelipepimut sequence stimulates specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) following binding to HLA-A2 or A3 molecules on antigen presenting cells (APC) to elicit a robust, specific and durable killer CD8+ CTL response. These activated specific CTLs recognize, neutralize and destroy, through cell lysis, HER2 expressing cancer cells, including occult cancer cells and micrometastatic foci. The nelipepimut immune response can also generate CTLs to other immunogenic peptides through inter- and intra-antigenic epitope spreading. We currently have four ongoing or planned trials with NeuVax:
	•	Phase 3 Ongoing: Based on our Phase 2 trial, the FDA granted NeuVax a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for its Phase 3 PRESENT (Prevention of Recurrence in Early-Stage, Node-Positive Breast Cancer with Low-to-Intermediate HER2 Expression with NeuVax Treatment) study. The PRESENT trial is enrolling HER2 1+ and 2+ patients globally. Additional information on the study can be found at www.neuvax.com.
	•	Phase 2b Ongoing: A randomized, multicenter, investigator-sponsored, 300 patient Phase 2b clinical trial is currently enrolling HER2 1+ and 2+, node positive, and high-risk node negative patients to study NeuVax in combination with Herceptin® (trastuzumab; Genentech/Roche).
	•	Phase 2 Planned: A randomized, multicenter, investigator-sponsored Phase 2 trial is expected to initiate in 2014 and enroll HER2 3+ patients who have received neoadjuvant therapy to study NeuVax in combination with Herceptin® (trastuzumab; Genentech/Roche).
	•	Phase 2 Planned: In January 2014, we partnered NeuVax with Dr. Reddy’s in India for the commercialization of NeuVax in that region. Per the agreement, Dr. Reddy’s is responsible for running a Phase 2 gastric cancer trial of NeuVax in India that is expected to initiate in early 2015.
	Our second peptide immunotherapy product candidate, GALE-301 (Folate Binding Protein, or “FBP”), is derived from a protein that is over-expressed (20-80 fold) in more than 90% of ovarian and endometrial cancers. FBP is a highly immunogenic peptide that can stimulate CTLs to recognize and destroy preclinical FBP-expressing cancer cells. The FBP vaccine consists of the FBP peptide(s) combined with rhGM-CSF. Galena’s FBP vaccine is currently in a Phase 2 trial in ovarian cancer.
	Expanding the Breadth, Depth and Pace of Our Pipeline
	Our third product candidate, GALE-401 (anagrelide controlled release (CR)) was acquired on January 12, 2014. GALE-401 contains the active ingredient anagrelide, an FDA-approved product, which has been in use since the late 1990s for the treatment of patients with myeloproliferative neosplasms, including essential thrombocythemia (ET) to lower abnormally elevated platelet levels. GALE-401 is a reformulated, controlled release version of anagrelide that is currently only given as an immediate release (IR) version. Multiple Phase 1 studies in approximately 90 healthy subjects have shown the drug to be effective at lowering platelet levels while reducing side effects that prevent patients from taking their therapy regularly. Based on a regulatory meeting with the FDA, Galena believes a 505(b)(2) regulatory filing is an acceptable pathway for GALE-401 development, with the reference drug Agrylin® (anagrelide; Shire Pharmaceuticals). The Phase 1 program has demonstrated the targeted PK/PD (pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic) profile to enable the Phase 2 initiation in 2014.
	In the future, we may pursue selective strategic alliances and acquisitions of other cancer treatments to complement or add to our existing cancer product pipeline.
	Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
	The accompanying consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by Galena pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in these notes to the “company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer (i) to Galena, our wholly owned subsidiary, Apthera, Inc., or “Apthera,” and our wholly owned subsidiary, Mills Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or "Mills."
	Uses of Estimates in Preparation of Financial Statements — The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
	Principles of Consolidation — The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Galena and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
	Reclassifications — Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net loss per share.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents — The company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of amounts invested in money market accounts and demand deposits.
	Restricted Cash — Restricted cash consists of certificates of deposit on hand with the company’s financial institutions as collateral for its corporate credit cards.
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheet for cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and capital leases approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature and market rates of interest.
	Accounts Receivable - The company maintains credit limits for all customers based upon several factors, including but not limited to financial condition and stability, payment history, published credit reports and use of credit references. Management performs analysis to evaluate accounts receivables to ensure recorded amounts reflect estimated net realizable value.
	Inventories — Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market value and are determined using the first-in, first-out ("FIFO") method. Inventories consist of Abstral work-in-process and finished goods. The company has entered into manufacturing and supply agreements for the manufacture and packing of Abstral finished goods. As of June 30, 2014, the company had inventories of $433,000, consisting of $233,000 of work-in-process and $200,000 of finished goods. As of December 31, 2013, the company had inventories of $386,000 consisting of $270,000 of work-in-process and $116,000 of finished goods.
	Equipment and Furnishings — Equipment and furnishings are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method based on the estimated useful lives (generally three to five years) of the related assets.
	Goodwill and Intangible Assets — Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are tested annually for impairment at the reporting unit level, or more frequently if events and circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. Factors the company considers important that could trigger an interim review for impairment include, but are not limited to, the following:
	•Significant changes in the manner of its use of acquired assets or the strategy for its overall business;
	•Significant negative industry or economic trends;
	•Significant decline in stock price for a sustained period; and
	•Significant decline in market capitalization relative to net book value.
	Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are evaluated for impairment first by a qualitative assessment to determine the likelihood of impairment. If it is determined that impairment is more likely than not, the company will then proceed to the two step impairment test. The first step is to compare the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying amount of the reporting unit (the “First Step”). If the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, a second step must be followed to calculate impairment (the “Second Step”). Otherwise, if the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying amount, the goodwill is not considered to be impaired as of the measurement date. In its review of the carrying value of the goodwill for its single reporting unit and its indefinite-lived intangible assets, the company determines fair values of its goodwill using the market approach, and its indefinite-lived intangible assets using the income approach.
	Intangible assets not considered indefinite-lived are reviewed for impairment when facts or circumstances suggest that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. The company’s policy is to identify and record impairment losses, if necessary, on intangible assets when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amounts.
	The company performed its review for impairment using the qualitative assessment for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, as well as assets not considered to be indefinite-lived, and has determined that there has been no impairment to these assets as of June 30, 2014.
	Revenue Recognition - The company recognizes revenue from the sale of Abstral. Revenue is recognized when (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred and title has passed, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.
	We sell Abstral product in the United States to wholesale pharmaceutical distributors and retail pharmacies, or our "customers," subject to rights of return. We recognize Abstral product sales at the time title transfers to our customer, and provide allowances for estimated future product returns, prompt pay discounts, wholesaler discounts, rebates, chargebacks, patient assistance program benefits and other deductions as needed. The company is required to make significant judgments and estimates in determining some of these allowances. If actual results differ from its estimates, the company will be required to make adjustments to these allowances in the future.
	Returns - The company estimates future returns based on historical return information, as well as information regarding prescription information and sell-through trends, in relation to the estimated amount of product in the sales channels and product expiration dates. The allowance for returns is recorded as a reduction to revenue in the period in which the revenue is recognized, with a corresponding allowance against accounts receivable.
	Prompt Pay Discounts - As an incentive for prompt payment, the company offers a cash discount to customers, which is generally 2% of gross sales. The company expects that all customers will comply with the contractual terms to earn the discount. The company records prompt pay discounts as a reduction to revenue in the period in which the revenue is recognized, with a corresponding allowance against accounts receivable.
	Wholesaler Discounts - The company offers discounts on sales to wholesalers and distributors based on contractually determined rates. The company accrues the discount as a reduction of receivables due from the wholesalers upon shipment to the respective wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies and recognizes the discount as a reduction of revenue in the same period the related revenue is recognized.
	Rebates - The company participates in certain rebate programs, which provide discounted prescriptions to members of certain managed care organizations, group purchasing organizations and specialty pharmacies. Under these rebate programs, the company pays the rebates generally two to three months after the end of the quarter in which prescriptions subject to the rebate are filled. The company estimates and accrues these rebates based on current contract prices, historical and estimated future percentages of product sold to qualifying member pharmacies and estimated levels of inventory in the distribution channel. Rebates are recognized as a reduction to revenue in the period that the related revenue is recognized, with a corresponding liability in accrued expenses and other current liabilities.
	Chargebacks - The company provides discounts primarily to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) of the General Services Administration under an FSS contract negotiated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and various organizations under Medicaid or Medicare contracts and regulations. These entities purchase products from the wholesale distributors at a discounted price, and the wholesale distributors then charge back to the company the difference between the current retail price and the price the entity paid for the product. The company estimates and accrues chargebacks based on estimated wholesaler inventory levels, current contract prices and historic chargeback activity. Chargebacks are recognized as a reduction of revenue in the period the related revenue is recognized, with a corresponding allowance against accounts receivable.
	Patient Assistance Programs - The company offers discount card programs to patients for Abstral in which patients receive discounts on their Abstral prescriptions that are reimbursed by the company. The company estimates the total amount that will be recognized based on a percentage of actual redemption applied to inventory in the distribution and retail channel and recognizes the discount as a reduction of revenue and as an other current liability (see Note 3) in the same period the related revenue is recognized.
	Acquisitions and In-Licensing — For all in-licensed products and technologies, we perform an analysis to determine whether we hold a variable interest or a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity. On the basis of our interpretations and conclusions, we determine whether the acquisition falls under the purview of variable interest entity accounting and if so, consider the necessity to consolidate the acquisition. As of June 30, 2014, we determined there were no variable interest entities required to be consolidated.
	We also perform an analysis to determine if the assets and liabilities acquired in an acquisition qualify as a "business." The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired can only be recognized as goodwill in a business combination.
	Contingent Purchase Price Consideration — Contingent consideration in business combinations is recorded at the estimated fair value as of the acquisition date. The fair value of the contingent consideration is re-measured at each reporting period with any adjustments in fair value included in our consolidated statement of comprehensive loss.
	Patents and Patent Application Costs — Although the company believes that its patents and underlying technology have continuing value, the amount of future benefits to be derived from the patents is uncertain. Patent costs are, therefore, expensed as incurred.
	Share-based Compensation — The company follows the provisions of the FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation — Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees, non-employee directors, and consultants, including stock options and warrants. Stock compensation expense based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period.
	For stock options and warrants granted as consideration for services rendered by non-employees, the company recognizes compensation expense in accordance with the requirements of FASB ASC Topic 505-50 (“ASC 505-50”), “ Equity Based Payments to Non- Employees.” Non-employee option and warrant grants that do not vest immediately upon grant are recorded as an expense over the vesting period. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to vesting, the value of these options and warrants, as calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, is re-measured using the fair value of the company’s common stock and the non-cash compensation recognized during the period is adjusted accordingly. Since the fair market value of options and warrants granted to non-employees is subject to change in the future, the amount of the future compensation expense will include fair value re-measurements until the stock options are fully vested.
	Research and Development Expenses — Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Included in research and development costs are wages, benefits and other operating costs, facilities, supplies, external services and overhead related to our research and development departments, and clinical trial expenses.
	Clinical trial expenses include direct costs associated with contract research organizations (CROs), as well as patient-related costs at sites at which our trials are being conducted.
	Direct costs associated with our CROs are generally payable on a time and materials basis, or when certain enrollment and monitoring milestones are achieved. Expense related to a milestone is recognized in the period in which the milestone is achieved or in which we determine that it is more likely than not that it will be achieved.
	The invoicing from clinical trial sites can lag several months. We accrue these site costs based on our estimate of upfront set-up costs upon the screening of the first patient at each site, and the patient related costs based on our knowledge of patient enrollment status at each site.
	Income Taxes — The company recognizes liabilities or assets for the deferred tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets or liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements in accordance with FASB ASC 740-10, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASC 740-10”). These temporary differences will result in taxable or deductible amounts in future years when the reported amounts of the assets or liabilities are recovered or settled. ASC 740-10 requires that a valuation allowance be established when management determines that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred asset will not be realized. The company evaluates the realizability of its net deferred income tax assets and valuation allowances as necessary, at least on an annual basis. During this evaluation, the company reviews its forecasts of income in conjunction with other positive and negative evidence surrounding the realizability of its deferred income tax assets to determine if a valuation allowance is required. Adjustments to the valuation allowance will increase or decrease the company’s income tax provision or benefit. The recognition and measurement of benefits related to the company’s tax positions requires significant judgment, as uncertainties often exist with respect to new laws, new interpretations of existing laws, and rulings by taxing authorities. Differences between actual results and the company’s assumptions or changes in the company’s assumptions in future periods are recorded in the period they become known.
	There was no income tax expense or benefit for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. For the three months ended June 30, 2013, we recognized income tax expense of $1,541,000. This expense offsets the tax impact related to the unrealized loss on our marketable securities, which is presented as other comprehensive income, net of tax, on our condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive loss. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, we recognized an income tax benefit of 1,221,000, which offsets the tax impact related to the unrealized gain on our marketable securities. We continue to maintain a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets.
	Concentrations of Credit Risk — Financial instruments that potentially subject the company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents. The company maintains cash balances in several accounts with two banks, which at times are in excess of federally insured limits. As of June 30, 2014, the company’s cash equivalents were invested in money market mutual funds. The company’s investment policy does not allow investment in any debt securities rated less than “investment grade” by national ratings services. The company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash and cash equivalents. The company maintains significant cash and cash equivalents at two financial institutions that are in excess of federally insured limits.
	Comprehensive Loss — Comprehensive loss consists of our net loss and other comprehensive income related to the unrealized gain (loss), net of tax, on our marketable securities, which are classified as available-for-sale. The value of the marketable securities held by the company at June 30, 2013 was approximately $5,786,000, based on quoted market prices of the securities. The company fully liquidated its position in marketable securities during the year ended December 31, 2013.

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Value Measurements	'
	Fair Value Measurements
	The company follows ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” (“ASC 820”) for the company’s financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at each reporting period, and are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually using a fair value hierarchy that is broken down into three levels. Level inputs are defined as follows:
	Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
	Level 2 — other significant observable inputs for the assets or liabilities through corroboration with market data at the measurement date.
	Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use to price the assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
	The company categorized its cash equivalents as Level 1. The valuations for Level 1 were determined based on a “market approach” using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. Valuation of these assets does not require a significant degree of judgment. The company categorized its warrants potentially settleable in cash as Level 2 inputs. The warrants are measured at market value on a recurring basis and are being marked to market each quarter-end until they are completely settled. The warrants are valued using an appropriate pricing model, using assumptions consistent with our application of ASC 718. The contingent purchase price consideration is categorized as Level 3 inputs and is measured at its estimated fair value on a recurring basis and is adjusted at each quarter-end until it is completely settled. The contingent purchase price consideration is valued based on the expected timing of milestones, the expected probability of success for each milestone and discount rates based on a corporate debt interest rate index publicly issued.
	The following tables present information about our assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis in the condensed consolidated balance sheets (in thousands):
	Description	June 30, 2014		Quoted Prices In		Significant Other		Unobservable
				Active Markets		Observable Inputs		Inputs
				(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
	Assets:
	Cash equivalents	$	36,997	$	36,997	$	—	$	—
	Total assets measured and recorded at fair value	$	36,997	$	36,997	$	—	$	—
	Liabilities:
	Warrants potentially settleable in cash	$	15,506	$	—	$	15,506	$	—
	Contingent purchase price consideration	7,477		—		—		7,477
	Total liabilities measured and recorded at fair value	$	22,983	$	—	$	15,506	$	7,477
	Description	December 31, 2013		Quoted Prices In		Significant Other		Unobservable
				Active Markets		Observable Inputs		Inputs
				(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
	Assets:
	Cash equivalents	$	42,349	$	42,349	$	—	$	—
	Total assets measured and recorded at fair value	$	42,349	$	42,349	$	—	$	—
	Liabilities:
	Warrants potentially settleable in cash	$	48,965	$	—	$	48,965	$	—
	Contingent purchase price consideration	6,821		—		—		6,821
	Total liabilities measured and recorded at fair value	$	55,786	$	—	$	48,965	$	6,821
	The company did not transfer any financial instruments into or out of Level 3 classification during the six months ended June 30, 2014 or 2013. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending Level 3 liabilities for the six months ended June 30, 2014 is as follows (in thousands):
		Fair Value
		Measurements
		Using Significant
		Unobservable
		Inputs
		(Level 3)
	Balance, January 1, 2014	$	6,821
	Change in the estimated fair value of the contingent purchase price consideration	656
	Balance at June 30, 2014	$	7,477
	The fair value of the contingent purchase price consideration is measured at the end of each reporting period using Level 3 inputs in a probability-weighted, discounted cash-outflow model. The significant unobservable assumptions include the probability of achieving each milestone, the date we expect to reach the milestone, and a determination of present value factors used to discount future expected cash outflows.

Accrued_Expenses_and_Other_Cur

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]	'
Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities	'
	Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
	Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
		June 30, 2014		December 31, 2013
	Clinical trial costs	$	5,108	$	3,109
	Professional fees	2,343		713
	Patient assistance programs and rebates	2,305		2,618
	Compensation and related benefits	1,683		1,999
	Royalties	280		158
	Interest expense	70		70
	Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	$	11,789	$	8,667

Longterm_Debt

Long-term Debt	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-term Debt	'
	Long-term Debt
	On May 8, 2013 we entered into a loan and security agreement with Oxford Finance LLC, as collateral agent, and related lenders under which we borrowed the first tranche of $10 million (the "Loan"). The Loan payment terms include 12 months of interest-only payments at the fixed coupon rate of 8.45%, followed by 30 months of amortization of principal and interest until maturity in November 2016. In connection with the Loan, we paid the lender a 1% cash facility fee and a 5.5% cash final payment and granted to the lenders seven-year warrants to purchase up to 182,186 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.47, which equaled a 20-day average market price of our common stock prior to the date of the grant.

Legal_Proceedings_Commitments_

Legal Proceedings, Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Legal Proceedings, Commitments and Contingencies	'
	Legal Proceedings, Commitments and Contingencies
	Legal Proceedings
	In addition to the complaints described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 17, 2014, and our Quarterly Report filed with the SEC on May 6, 2014, five additional shareholder derivative complaints were filed against the company, as nominal defendant, and certain of our officers and directors in the Delaware Court of Chancery. On July 22, 2014, all of the pending derivative complaints in the Delaware Court of Chancery were consolidated in the matter of In re Galena Biopharma, Inc. Stockholder Derivative Litigation, Consolidated C.A. No. 9715-VCN (Del. Ch.). The complaints allege, among other things, breaches of fiduciary duties and abuse of control by the officers and directors in connection with various public statements purportedly issued by the company or on our behalf and sales of our common stock by the officers and directors in January and February of this year, improper stock option grants and excessive compensation of our non-employee directors.
	As previously reported, on February 17, 2014, our board of directors formed a special committee of the board to conduct an internal investigation of certain of the allegations in the foregoing complaints, and the special committee retained its own counsel to assist in its investigation. The special committee has completed its investigation, and on July 21, 2014, our board appointed Irving M. Einhorn as a special litigation committee in order to make any and all determinations with respect to the complaints and take all actions he deems necessary or appropriate regarding the claims made in the complaints.
	Also, as previously reported, five purported securities class actions are currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. The complaints allege that the defendants violated the federal securities laws by making materially false and misleading statements in press releases and in filings with the SEC arising out of the same circumstances that are the subject of the derivative actions described above. Consolidation of the class actions and appointment of lead plaintiff are currently pending.
	We intend to vigorously defend against the foregoing complaints. Based on the very early stage of the litigation, it is not possible to estimate the amount or range of possible loss that might result from an adverse judgment or a settlement of these matters. At June 30, 2014, no material liabilities with respect to the foregoing claims have been recorded in our consolidated financial statements. We have notified our insurance carrier of the claims, and believe our insurance is sufficient to cover such claims.
	Commitments
	On January 12, 2014, we acquired exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize GALE‑401 (anagrelide CR), a patented, controlled-release formulation of anagrelide, through our acquisition of Mills Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Mills”) under a unit purchase agreement. Under the terms of the unit purchase agreement, we made an up-front cash payment of $2 million to the former Mills owners and also agreed to make additional contingent payments to the former owners upon the achievement of certain development milestones relating to GALE‑401, including 2,000,000 shares of our common stock upon initiating the first clinical trial of GALE‑401 in patients with essential thrombocythemia, or “ET,” and an additional 2,000,000 shares upon initiating a Phase 3 clinical study of GALE‑401. The number of shares issuable upon the milestones is subject to increase based on a formula specified in the purchase agreement, up to a maximum of 3,000,000 shares for each milestone, in the event the five‑day average trailing closing price of our common stock (the “Average Price”) is less than $4.84 at the time the applicable milestone is achieved. Similarly, the number of shares issuable upon achievement of the milestones is subject to decrease based on such formula if the Average Price exceeds $6.84 at the time of achievement of the applicable milestone.
	We expect to achieve the milestone relating to the initiation of the first clinical trial of GALE-401 in the third quarter of 2014; however, given the volatility of our stock price and its effect on the value of the shares to be issued by us, the amount of the milestone payment could not be reasonably estimated as of June 30, 2014. We will record as an addition to the GALE-401 intangible asset the fair value of the shares delivered in payment of each milestone under the Mills unit purchase agreement. The addition to the intangible asset for the fair value of the shares will increase our additional paid-in capital by the same amount. The milestone payments will have no effect on our net loss.

Stockholders_Equity

Stockholders' Equity	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity	'
	Stockholders’ Equity
	Preferred Stock — The company has authorized up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share, for issuance. The preferred stock will have such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, as shall be determined by the company’s board of directors upon its issuance. To date, the company has not issued any preferred shares.
	Common Stock — The company has authorized up to 200,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, for issuance.
	September 2013 Underwritten Public Offering - On September 18, 2013 the company closed an underwritten public offering of 17,500,000 units at a price to the public of $2.00 per unit for gross proceeds of $35 million (the "September 2013 Offering"). Each unit consists of one share of common stock, and a warrant to purchase 0.35 of a share of common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. The September 2013 Offering included an over-allotment option for the underwriters to purchase an additional 2,625,000 shares of common stock and/or warrants up to 918,750 shares of common stock. On September 23, 2013, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in full. The additional gross proceeds to the company as a result of the full exercise of the over-allotment option were approximately $5.2 million. The total net proceeds of the September 2013 offering, including the exercise of the over-allotment option, were $37.5 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by the company.
	Shares of common stock for future issuance are reserved for as follows (in thousands):
		As of June 30, 2014
	Warrants outstanding	9,460
	Stock options outstanding	10,166
	Options reserved for future issuance under the Company’s 2007 Incentive Plan	1,592
	Shares reserved for future issuance under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan	708
	Total reserved for future issuance	21,926

Warrants

Warrants	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Warrants and Rights Note Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Warrants	'
	Warrants
	The following is a summary of warrant activity for the six months ended June 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		September			December			April 2011			March		March			August			Consultant			Total
		2013			2012			Warrants			2011		2010			2009			and Oxford Warrants
		Warrants			Warrants						Warrants		Warrants			Warrants
	Outstanding, January 1, 2014	6,442			4,917			1,158			176		290			978			889			14,850
	Granted	—			—			—			—		—			—			300			300
	Exercised	(2,469	)		(1,882	)		(543	)		—		(265	)		(62	)		(469	)		(5,690	)
	Outstanding, June 30, 2014	3,973			3,035			615			176		25			916			720			9,460
	Expiration	Sep-18			Dec-17			Apr-17			Mar-16		Mar-16			Aug-14			Varies 2014-2020
	Warrants consist of warrants potentially settleable in cash, which are liability-classified warrants, and equity-classified warrants.
	Warrants classified as liabilities
	Liability-classified warrants consist of warrants to purchase common stock issued in connection with equity financings in September 2013, December 2012, April 2011, March 2011, March 2010 and August 2009. These warrants are potentially settleable in cash and were determined not to be indexed to our common stock.
	The estimated fair value of outstanding warrants accounted for as liabilities is determined at each balance sheet date. Any decrease or increase in the estimated fair value of the warrant liability since the most recent balance sheet date is recorded in the condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive loss as other income (expense). The fair value of the warrants is estimated using an appropriate pricing model with the following inputs:
		As of June 30, 2014
		September				December				April 2011			March				March				August
		2013				2012				Warrants			2011				2010				2009
		Warrants				Warrants							Warrants				Warrants				Warrants
	Strike price	$	2.5			$	1.9			$	0.65		$	0.65			$	2.15			$	4.5
	Expected term (years)	4.22				3.48				2.81			1.68				1.74				0.09
	Volatility %	75.31		%		76.81		%		79		%	85.16		%		84.25		%		79.88		%
	Risk-free rate %	1.33		%		1.06		%		0.8		%	0.35		%		0.38		%		0.02		%
		As of December 31, 2013
		September				December				April 2011			March				March				August
		2013				2012				Warrants			2011				2010				2009
		Warrants				Warrants							Warrants				Warrants				Warrants
	Strike price	$	2.5			$	1.9			$	0.65		$	0.65			$	2.15			$	4.5
	Expected term (years)	4.72				3.98				3.31			2.18				2.24				0.59
	Volatility %	71.97		%		71.38		%		71.71		%	73.45		%		73.36		%		66.85		%
	Risk-free rate %	1.61		%		1.25		%		0.93		%	0.45		%		0.47		%		0.11		%
	The expected volatility assumptions are based on the company's implied volatility in combination with the implied volatilities of similar publicly traded entities. The expected life assumption is based on the remaining contractual terms of the warrants. The risk-free rate is based on the zero coupon rates in effect at the time of valuation. The dividend yield used in the pricing model is zero, because the company has no present intention to pay cash dividends.
	The changes in fair value of the warrant liability for the six months ended June 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		September				December				April 2011			March				March				August			Total
		2013				2012				Warrants			2011				2010				2009
		Warrants				Warrants							Warrants				Warrants				Warrants
	Warrant liability, January 1, 2014	$	22,950			$	18,060			$	5,069		$	763			$	945			$	1,178		$	48,965
	Fair value of warrants exercised	(12,713		)		(10,081		)		(2,905		)	—				(1,159		)		(162		)	(27,020		)
	Change in fair value of warrants	(2,745		)		(2,006		)		(615		)	(330		)		257				(1,000		)	(6,439		)
	Warrant liability, June 30, 2014	$	7,492			$	5,973			$	1,549		$	433			$	43			$	16		$	15,506
	Warrants classified as equity
	Equity-classified warrants consist of warrants issued in connection with consulting services provided to us. Additionally, on May 8, 2013 as a part of our Loan financing, we granted Oxford Financial LLC warrants to purchase up to 182,186 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.47, which equaled to the 20-day average market price of our common stock prior to the date of the grant. The warrants were valued using the Black Scholes model as described in Note 8, below. The fair value assumptions for the grant included a volatility of 75.34%, expected term of seven years, risk free rate of 1.20%, and a dividend rate of 0.00%. The fair value of the warrants granted was $1.93 per share. These warrants are recorded in equity at fair value upon issuance, and not as liabilities, and are not subject to adjustment to fair value in subsequent reporting periods.

Stock_Based_Compensation

Stock Based Compensation	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Stock Based Compensation	'
	Stock-Based Compensation
	Options to Purchase Shares of Common Stock — The company follows the provisions ASC 718, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees, non-employee directors, including employee stock options. Stock compensation expense based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period.
	For stock options and warrants granted in consideration for services rendered by non-employees, the company recognizes compensation expense in accordance with the requirements of ASC Topic 505-50. Non-employee option and warrant grants that do not vest immediately upon grant are recorded as an expense over the vesting period. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to vesting, the value of these options and warrants, as calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, is being re-measured using the fair value of the company’s common stock and the non-cash compensation recognized during the period will be adjusted accordingly. Since the fair market value of options and warrants granted to non-employees is subject to change in the future, the amount of the future compensation expense will include fair value re-measurements until the stock options and warrants are fully vested.
	The following table summarizes the components of stock-based compensation expense in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive loss for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended June 30,							Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014			2013				2014			2013
	Research and development	$	187		$	145			$	347		$	258
	Selling, general, and administrative	1,265			374				2,789			625
	Total stock-based compensation	$	1,452		$	519			$	3,136		$	883
	The company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the following weighted-average assumptions to determine the fair value of all its stock options granted:
		Three Months Ended June 30,					Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014		2013			2014			2013
	Risk free interest rate	2.02	%	1.35	%		2.03	%		1.25	%
	Volatility	79.76	%	78.18	%		79.64	%		77.66	%
	Expected lives (years)	6.15		6.25			6.16			6.25
	Expected dividend yield	0	%	0	%		0	%		0	%
	The weighted-average fair value of options granted during the three months and six months ended June 30, 2014 was $1.43 per share and $1.79 per share, respectively.
	The company’s expected common stock price volatility assumption is based upon the company's own implied volatility in combination with the implied volatility of a basket of comparable companies. The expected life assumptions for employee grants were based upon the simplified method provided for under ASC 718-10, which averages the contractual term of the company’s options of ten years with the average vesting term of four years for an average of six years. The expected life assumptions for non-employees were based upon the contractual term of the option. The dividend yield assumption is zero, because the company has never paid cash dividends and presently has no intention to do so. The risk-free interest rate used for each grant was also based upon prevailing short-term interest rates. The company has estimated an annualized forfeiture rate of 15% for options granted to its employees, 8% for options granted to senior management and zero for non-employee directors. The company will record additional expense if the actual forfeitures are lower than estimated and will record a recovery of prior expense if the actual forfeiture rates are higher than estimated.
	As of June 30, 2014, there was $7,936,000 of unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding options that is expected to be recognized as a component of the company’s operating expenses over a weighted-average period of 2.62 years.
	As of June 30, 2014, an aggregate of 16,500,000 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance under the company’s 2007 Incentive Plan, including 10,166,000 shares subject to outstanding common stock options granted under the plan and 1,592,000 shares available for future grants. The administrator of the plan determines the times when an option may become exercisable. Vesting periods of options granted to date have not exceeded four years. The options will expire, unless previously exercised, no later than ten years from the grant date.
	The following table summarizes option activity of the company:
		Total		Weighted				Aggregate
		Number of		Average				Intrinsic
		Shares		Exercise				Value
		(In Thousands)		Price				(In Thousands)
	Outstanding at January 1, 2014	13,159		$	2.73			$	—
	Granted	835		2.57				—
	Exercised	(3,328	)	1.3				13,207
	Cancelled	(500	)	2.13				544
	Outstanding at June 30, 2014	10,166		$	3.21			$	6,308
	Options exercisable at June 30, 2014	4,841		$	3.64			$	2,755
	The aggregate intrinsic values of outstanding and exercisable options at June 30, 2014 were calculated based on the closing price of the company’s common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Capital Market on June 30, 2014 of $3.06 per share. The aggregate intrinsic value equals the positive difference between the closing fair market value of the company’s common stock and the exercise price of the underlying options.

Other_Income_Expense_Notes

Other Income (Expense) (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Income (Expense)	'
	Other Income (Expense)
	Other income (expense) is summarized as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended June 30,					Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014			2013		2014			2013
	Realized gain on sale of marketable securities	$	—		$	578	$	—		$	578
	Change in fair value of the contingent purchase price liability	(490		)	56		(656		)	(387		)
	Miscellaneous other income (expense)	(1		)	—		—			(3		)
	Total other income (expense)	$	(491	)	$	634	$	(656	)	$	188

Net_Loss_Per_Share

Net Loss Per Share	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Net Loss Per Share	'
	Net Loss Per Share
	The company accounts for and discloses net loss per common share in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260 “Earnings per Share.” Basic net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares that would have been outstanding during the period assuming the issuance of common shares for all potential dilutive common shares outstanding. Potential common shares consist of shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options and warrants.
	The following table sets forth the potentially dilutive common shares excluded from the calculation of net loss per common share because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive (in thousands):
		Three and Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014	2013
	Warrants to purchase common stock	9,460	12,405
	Options to purchase common stock	10,166	9,972
	Total	19,626	22,377

License_Agreements

License Agreements	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
License Agreements	'
	License Agreements
	As part of its business, the company enters into licensing agreements with third parties that often require milestone and royalty payments based on the progress of the licensed asset through development and commercial stages. Milestone payments may be required, for example, upon approval of the product for marketing by a regulatory agency, and the company may be required to make royalty payments based upon a percentage of net sales of the product. The expenditures required under these arrangements in any period may be material and are likely to fluctuate from period to period.
	These arrangements sometimes permit the company to unilaterally terminate development of the product and thereby avoid future contingent payments; however, the company is unlikely to cease development if the compound successfully achieves clinical testing objectives.
	In conjunction with the acquisition of NeuVaxTM, the company acquired rights and assumed obligations under a license agreement among Apthera and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (“MDACC”) and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (“HJF”) which grants exclusive worldwide rights to a U.S. patent covering the nelipepimut-S peptide and several U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications covering methods of using the peptide as a vaccine. Under the terms of this license, we are required to pay an annual maintenance fee of $200,000, a milestone payment of $200,000 upon commencing the Phase 3 PRESENT trial of NeuVax and other clinical milestone payments, as well as royalty payments based on sales of NeuVax or other therapeutic products developed from the licensed technologies.
	On March 18, 2013, we acquired Abstral® (fentanyl) Sublingual Tablets for sale and distribution in the United States from Orexo AB (ORX.ST), an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company based in Sweden. Abstral has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is a transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl (TIRF) product.
	Under our agreement with Orexo, we assumed responsibility for the U.S. commercialization of Abstral and for all regulatory and reporting matters in the U.S. We also agreed to establish and maintain through 2015 a specified minimum commercial field force to market, sell and distribute Abstral and to use commercially reasonable efforts to reach the specified sales milestones. Orexo is entitled to reacquire the U.S. rights to Abstral from us for no consideration if we breach our obligations to establish and maintain the requisite sales force throughout the marketing period. We expect to maintain our sales efforts beyond this date. We officially launched U.S. commercial sales of Abstral in October 2013.
	In exchange for the U.S. rights to Abstral, (1) we paid Orexo $10 million upfront, and a $5 million milestone payment in cash in October 2013 upon the approval by the FDA of a specified U.S. manufacturer of Abstral; and (2) we agreed to pay to Orexo: (a) three one-time future cash milestone payments based on our net sales of Abstral; and (b) a low double-digit royalty on future net sales. No further milestone or royalty payments will be due after the date on which all claims of the last remaining licensed patents expire (currently 2019) or become invalidated by a governmental agency.
	On January 12, 2014, we acquired worldwide rights to anagrelide controlled release (CR) formulation, which we renamed GALE-401, through our acquisition of Mills Pharmaceuticals, LLC ("Mills") (see Note 5), and Mills became a wholly owned subsidiary. GALE-401 contains the active ingredient anagrelide, an FDA-approved product that has been in use since the late 1990s for the treatment of essential thrombocythemia (ET). Mills holds an exclusive license to develop and commercialize anagrelide CR formulation, pursuant to a license agreement with BioVascular, Inc. Under the terms of the license agreement, Mills has agreed to pay BioVascular, Inc. a mid-to-low single digit royalty on net revenue from the sale of licensed products as well as future cash milestone payments based on the achievement of specified regulatory milestones. Mills is also responsible for patent prosecution and maintenance.

Significant_Customers_and_Conc

Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk (Notes)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]	'
Significant Customer and Concentration of Credit Risk	'
	Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk
	The company is engaged in the business of developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products. As of June 30, 2014, the company had one active commercial product, Abstral, available in six dosing strengths, and all sales reported are in the United States.
	Sales to the following customers represented 10% or more of net revenue during at least one of the periods are presented as follows:
		Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	Customer	2014		2013		2014		2013
	Customer A	38	%	—	%	45	%	—	%
	Customer B	31	%	—	%	22	%	—	%
	Customer C	7	%	—	%	10	%	—	%
	Customer D	14	%	—	%	8	%	—	%
	Customer E	5	%	—	%	10	%	—	%
	The following customers represented 10% or more of total accounts receivable as of at least one of the balance sheet dates presented:
		30-Jun-14		31-Dec-13
	Customer	(Unaudited)
	Customer A	28	%	25	%
	Customer B	45	%	11	%
	Customer C	6	%	54	%
	Customer D	11	%	7	%
	Our gross revenue is affected by the timing of customer orders, which timing sometimes results in quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in gross revenue. From time to time we have offered favorable pricing and extended payment terms to new wholesale distributor customers as an incentive to place initial Abstral orders. In the second quarter of 2014, we afforded such incentives to one of our principal customers with respect to an order from which we recognized approximately $1.5 million of gross revenue (ex-manufacturer), or approximately $0.9 million of net revenue.

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Subsequent Events [Abstract]	'
Subsequent Events	'
	Subsequent Events
	The company evaluated all events or transactions that occurred after June 30, 2014 up through the date these financial statements were issued. Other than as disclosed elsewhere in the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements, the company did not have any material recognizable or unrecognizable subsequent events, except as follows:.
	On July 17, 2014, we entered into a definitive license and supply agreement with MonoSol Rx, LLC (MonoSol) for the U.S. commercial rights to Zuplenz® (ondansetron) Oral Soluble Film, an FDA approved product for the prevention of highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV), and post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV). In exchange for the U.S. rights to Zuplenz, in connection with the effectiveness of the license and transfer to us of the New Drug Application (NDA) for Zuplenz, we will pay MonoSol a total of $5 million in cash and shares of our common stock. In addition to these payments, we will pay MonoSol $0.5 million upon the earlier of (a) the occurrence of a specified managed care milestone and (b) December 31, 2014, (ii) $0.25 million within 30 days after MonoSol’s payment of applicable fees relating to the notice of allowance by the United States Patent and Trademark Office of a U.S. patent with composition claims covering Zuplenz that extend beyond 2028, (iii) future cash milestone payments based on our achievement of specified “net sales” of Zuplenz, and (iv) a double-digit royalty on future “net sales.”
	Under the terms of the license agreement, we assumed responsibility for the commercialization of Zuplenz and for all regulatory and reporting matters in the U.S. We also agreed in the license and supply agreement to use our best commercial efforts to begin commercializing Zuplenz in the U.S. on or before December 31, 2014 in accordance with a joint commercialization plan to be established by the company and MonoSol. We also agreed that, until net sales of Zuplenz exceed a specified minimum amount or a competing product has been approved by the FDA and is placed into the market for sale, we will maintain a specified minimum number of field sales force personnel on specified terms.
	Under the license and supply agreement, MonoSol has the exclusive right to supply all of our requirements for Zuplenz, subject to certain conditions.

Business_and_Basis_of_Presenta1

Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Uses of Estimates in Preparation of Financial Statements	'
	Uses of Estimates in Preparation of Financial Statements — The preparation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
Principles of Consolidation	'
	Principles of Consolidation — The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Galena and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
Reclassifications	'
	Reclassifications — Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net loss per share.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	'
	Cash and Cash Equivalents — The company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of amounts invested in money market accounts and demand deposits.
Restricted Cash	'
	Restricted Cash — Restricted cash consists of certificates of deposit on hand with the company’s financial institutions as collateral for its corporate credit cards
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	'
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheet for cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and capital leases approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature and market rates of interest.
Inventories	'
	Inventories — Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market value and are determined using the first-in, first-out ("FIFO") method. Inventories consist of Abstral work-in-process and finished goods. The company has entered into manufacturing and supply agreements for the manufacture and packing of Abstral finished goods. As of June 30, 2014, the company had inventories of $433,000, consisting of $233,000 of work-in-process and $200,000 of finished goods.
Equipment and Furnishings	'
	Equipment and Furnishings — Equipment and furnishings are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method based on the estimated useful lives (generally three to five years) of the related assets.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets	'
	Intangible assets not considered indefinite-lived are reviewed for impairment when facts or circumstances suggest that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. The company’s policy is to identify and record impairment losses, if necessary, on intangible assets when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amounts.
	The company performed its review for impairment using the qualitative assessment for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, as well as assets not considered to be indefinite-lived, and has determined that there has been no impairment to these assets as of June 30, 2014.
Acquisitions and In-Licensing	'
	Intangible assets not considered indefinite-lived are reviewed for impairment when facts or circumstances suggest that the carrying value of these assets may not be recoverable. The company’s policy is to identify and record impairment losses, if necessary, on intangible assets when events and circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying amounts.
	The company performed its review for impairment using the qualitative assessment for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, as well as assets not considered to be indefinite-lived, and has determined that there has been no impairment to these assets as of June 30, 2014.
	As of June 30, 2014, we determined there were no variable interest entities required to be consolidated.
	We also perform an analysis to determine if the assets and liabilities acquired in an acquisition qualify as a "business." The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired can only be recognized as goodwill in a business combination.
Revenue Recognition	'
	Revenue Recognition - The company recognizes revenue from the sale of Abstral. Revenue is recognized when (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred and title has passed, (iii) the price is fixed or determinable and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.
	We sell Abstral product in the United States to wholesale pharmaceutical distributors and retail pharmacies, or our "customers," subject to rights of return. We recognize Abstral product sales at the time title transfers to our customer, and provide allowances for estimated future product returns, prompt pay discounts, wholesaler discounts, rebates, chargebacks, patient assistance program benefits and other deductions as needed. The company is required to make significant judgments and estimates in determining some of these allowances. If actual results differ from its estimates, the company will be required to make adjustments to these allowances in the future.
	Returns - The company estimates future returns based on historical return information, as well as information regarding prescription information and sell-through trends, in relation to the estimated amount of product in the sales channels and product expiration dates. The allowance for returns is recorded as a reduction to revenue in the period in which the revenue is recognized, with a corresponding allowance against accounts receivable.
	Prompt Pay Discounts - As an incentive for prompt payment, the company offers a cash discount to customers, which is generally 2% of gross sales. The company expects that all customers will comply with the contractual terms to earn the discount. The company records prompt pay discounts as a reduction to revenue in the period in which the revenue is recognized, with a corresponding allowance against accounts receivable.
	Wholesaler Discounts - The company offers discounts on sales to wholesalers and distributors based on contractually determined rates. The company accrues the discount as a reduction of receivables due from the wholesalers upon shipment to the respective wholesale distributors and retail pharmacies and recognizes the discount as a reduction of revenue in the same period the related revenue is recognized.
	Rebates - The company participates in certain rebate programs, which provide discounted prescriptions to members of certain managed care organizations, group purchasing organizations and specialty pharmacies. Under these rebate programs, the company pays the rebates generally two to three months after the end of the quarter in which prescriptions subject to the rebate are filled. The company estimates and accrues these rebates based on current contract prices, historical and estimated future percentages of product sold to qualifying member pharmacies and estimated levels of inventory in the distribution channel. Rebates are recognized as a reduction to revenue in the period that the related revenue is recognized, with a corresponding liability in accrued expenses and other current liabilities.
	Chargebacks - The company provides discounts primarily to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) of the General Services Administration under an FSS contract negotiated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and various organizations under Medicaid or Medicare contracts and regulations. These entities purchase products from the wholesale distributors at a discounted price, and the wholesale distributors then charge back to the company the difference between the current retail price and the price the entity paid for the product. The company estimates and accrues chargebacks based on estimated wholesaler inventory levels, current contract prices and historic chargeback activity. Chargebacks are recognized as a reduction of revenue in the period the related revenue is recognized, with a corresponding allowance against accounts receivable.
	Patient Assistance Programs - The company offers discount card programs to patients for Abstral in which patients receive discounts on their Abstral prescriptions that are reimbursed by the company. The company estimates the total amount that will be recognized based on a percentage of actual redemption applied to inventory in the distribution and retail channel and recognizes the discount as a reduction of revenue and as an other current liability (see Note 3) in the same period the related revenue is recognized.
Contingent Consideration	'
	Contingent Purchase Price Consideration — Contingent consideration in business combinations is recorded at the estimated fair value as of the acquisition date. The fair value of the contingent consideration is re-measured at each reporting period with any adjustments in fair value included in our consolidated statement of comprehensive loss.
Patents and Patent Application Costs	'
	Patents and Patent Application Costs — Although the company believes that its patents and underlying technology have continuing value, the amount of future benefits to be derived from the patents is uncertain. Patent costs are, therefore, expensed as incurred.
Share-based Compensation	'
	Share-based Compensation — The company follows the provisions of the FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation — Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees, non-employee directors, and consultants, including stock options and warrants. Stock compensation expense based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period.
	For stock options and warrants granted as consideration for services rendered by non-employees, the company recognizes compensation expense in accordance with the requirements of FASB ASC Topic 505-50 (“ASC 505-50”), “ Equity Based Payments to Non- Employees.” Non-employee option and warrant grants that do not vest immediately upon grant are recorded as an expense over the vesting period. At the end of each financial reporting period prior to vesting, the value of these options and warrants, as calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, is re-measured using the fair value of the company’s common stock and the non-cash compensation recognized during the period is adjusted accordingly. Since the fair market value of options and warrants granted to non-employees is subject to change in the future, the amount of the future compensation expense will include fair value re-measurements until the stock options are fully vested.
Research and Development Expenses	'
	Research and Development Expenses — Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Included in research and development costs are wages, benefits and other operating costs, facilities, supplies, external services and overhead related to our research and development departments, and clinical trial expenses.
	Clinical trial expenses include direct costs associated with contract research organizations (CROs), as well as patient-related costs at sites at which our trials are being conducted.
	Direct costs associated with our CROs are generally payable on a time and materials basis, or when certain enrollment and monitoring milestones are achieved. Expense related to a milestone is recognized in the period in which the milestone is achieved or in which we determine that it is more likely than not that it will be achieved.
	The invoicing from clinical trial sites can lag several months. We accrue these site costs based on our estimate of upfront set-up costs upon the screening of the first patient at each site, and the patient related costs based on our knowledge of patient enrollment status at each site.
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes — The company recognizes liabilities or assets for the deferred tax consequences of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets or liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements in accordance with FASB ASC 740-10, “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASC 740-10”). These temporary differences will result in taxable or deductible amounts in future years when the reported amounts of the assets or liabilities are recovered or settled. ASC 740-10 requires that a valuation allowance be established when management determines that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred asset will not be realized. The company evaluates the realizability of its net deferred income tax assets and valuation allowances as necessary, at least on an annual basis. During this evaluation, the company reviews its forecasts of income in conjunction with other positive and negative evidence surrounding the realizability of its deferred income tax assets to determine if a valuation allowance is required. Adjustments to the valuation allowance will increase or decrease the company’s income tax provision or benefit. The recognition and measurement of benefits related to the company’s tax positions requires significant judgment, as uncertainties often exist with respect to new laws, new interpretations of existing laws, and rulings by taxing authorities. Differences between actual results and the company’s assumptions or changes in the company’s assumptions in future periods are recorded in the period they become known.
	There was no income tax expense or benefit for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014. For the three months ended June 30, 2013, we recognized income tax expense of $1,541,000. This expense offsets the tax impact related to the unrealized loss on our marketable securities, which is presented as other comprehensive income, net of tax, on our condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive loss. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, we recognized an income tax benefit of 1,221,000, which offsets the tax impact related to the unrealized gain on our marketable securities. We continue to maintain a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets.
Concentrations of Credit Risk	'
	Concentrations of Credit Risk — Financial instruments that potentially subject the company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents. The company maintains cash balances in several accounts with two banks, which at times are in excess of federally insured limits. As of June 30, 2014, the company’s cash equivalents were invested in money market mutual funds. The company’s investment policy does not allow investment in any debt securities rated less than “investment grade” by national ratings services. The company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash and cash equivalents. The company maintains significant cash and cash equivalents at two financial institutions that are in excess of federally insured limits.
Comprehensive Loss	'
	Comprehensive Loss — Comprehensive loss consists of our net loss and other comprehensive income related to the unrealized gain (loss), net of tax, on our marketable securities, which are classified as available-for-sale. The value of the marketable securities held by the company at June 30, 2013 was approximately $5,786,000, based on quoted market prices of the securities. The company fully liquidated its position in marketable securities during the year ended December 31, 2013.
Fair Value Measurement	'
	Fair Value Measurements
	The company follows ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” (“ASC 820”) for the company’s financial assets and liabilities that are re-measured and reported at fair value at each reporting period, and are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually using a fair value hierarchy that is broken down into three levels. Level inputs are defined as follows:
	Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
	Level 2 — other significant observable inputs for the assets or liabilities through corroboration with market data at the measurement date.
	Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use to price the assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
	The company categorized its cash equivalents as Level 1. The valuations for Level 1 were determined based on a “market approach” using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. Valuation of these assets does not require a significant degree of judgment. The company categorized its warrants potentially settleable in cash as Level 2 inputs. The warrants are measured at market value on a recurring basis and are being marked to market each quarter-end until they are completely settled. The warrants are valued using an appropriate pricing model, using assumptions consistent with our application of ASC 718. The contingent purchase price consideration is categorized as Level 3 inputs and is measured at its estimated fair value on a recurring basis and is adjusted at each quarter-end until it is completely settled. The contingent purchase price consideration is valued based on the expected timing of milestones, the expected probability of success for each milestone and discount rates based on a corporate debt interest rate index publicly issued.
Earnings per Share	'
	Net Loss Per Share
	The company accounts for and discloses net loss per common share in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260 “Earnings per Share.” Basic net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares that would have been outstanding during the period assuming the issuance of common shares for all potential dilutive common shares outstanding. Potential common shares consist of shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options and warrants.

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Contingent Purchase Price Consideration, Measured at Estimated Fair Value on Recurring Basis	'
	Description	June 30, 2014		Quoted Prices In		Significant Other		Unobservable
				Active Markets		Observable Inputs		Inputs
				(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
	Assets:
	Cash equivalents	$	36,997	$	36,997	$	—	$	—
	Total assets measured and recorded at fair value	$	36,997	$	36,997	$	—	$	—
	Liabilities:
	Warrants potentially settleable in cash	$	15,506	$	—	$	15,506	$	—
	Contingent purchase price consideration	7,477		—		—		7,477
	Total liabilities measured and recorded at fair value	$	22,983	$	—	$	15,506	$	7,477
	Description	December 31, 2013		Quoted Prices In		Significant Other		Unobservable
				Active Markets		Observable Inputs		Inputs
				(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
	Assets:
	Cash equivalents	$	42,349	$	42,349	$	—	$	—
	Total assets measured and recorded at fair value	$	42,349	$	42,349	$	—	$	—
	Liabilities:
	Warrants potentially settleable in cash	$	48,965	$	—	$	48,965	$	—
	Contingent purchase price consideration	6,821		—		—		6,821
	Total liabilities measured and recorded at fair value	$	55,786	$	—	$	48,965	$	6,821
Reconciliation of Level 3 Liabilities	'
	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending Level 3 liabilities for the six months ended June 30, 2014 is as follows (in thousands):
		Fair Value
		Measurements
		Using Significant
		Unobservable
		Inputs
		(Level 3)
	Balance, January 1, 2014	$	6,821
	Change in the estimated fair value of the contingent purchase price consideration	656
	Balance at June 30, 2014	$	7,477

Accrued_Expenses_and_Other_Cur1

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities	'
	Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
		June 30, 2014		December 31, 2013
	Clinical trial costs	$	5,108	$	3,109
	Professional fees	2,343		713
	Patient assistance programs and rebates	2,305		2,618
	Compensation and related benefits	1,683		1,999
	Royalties	280		158
	Interest expense	70		70
	Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	$	11,789	$	8,667

Stockholders_Equity_Tables

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Common Stock are Reserved for Future Issuance	'
	September 2013 Underwritten Public Offering - On September 18, 2013 the company closed an underwritten public offering of 17,500,000 units at a price to the public of $2.00 per unit for gross proceeds of $35 million (the "September 2013 Offering"). Each unit consists of one share of common stock, and a warrant to purchase 0.35 of a share of common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share. The September 2013 Offering included an over-allotment option for the underwriters to purchase an additional 2,625,000 shares of common stock and/or warrants up to 918,750 shares of common stock. On September 23, 2013, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in full. The additional gross proceeds to the company as a result of the full exercise of the over-allotment option were approximately $5.2 million. The total net proceeds of the September 2013 offering, including the exercise of the over-allotment option, were $37.5 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by the company.
	Shares of common stock for future issuance are reserved for as follows (in thousands):
		As of June 30, 2014
	Warrants outstanding	9,460
	Stock options outstanding	10,166
	Options reserved for future issuance under the Company’s 2007 Incentive Plan	1,592
	Shares reserved for future issuance under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan	708
	Total reserved for future issuance	21,926

Warrants_Tables

Warrants (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Warrants and Rights Note Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Warrant Activity	'
	The following is a summary of warrant activity for the six months ended June 30, 2014 (in thousands):
		September			December			April 2011			March		March			August			Consultant			Total
		2013			2012			Warrants			2011		2010			2009			and Oxford Warrants
		Warrants			Warrants						Warrants		Warrants			Warrants
	Outstanding, January 1, 2014	6,442			4,917			1,158			176		290			978			889			14,850
	Granted	—			—			—			—		—			—			300			300
	Exercised	(2,469	)		(1,882	)		(543	)		—		(265	)		(62	)		(469	)		(5,690	)
	Outstanding, June 30, 2014	3,973			3,035			615			176		25			916			720			9,460
	Expiration	Sep-18			Dec-17			Apr-17			Mar-16		Mar-16			Aug-14			Varies 2014-2020
Fair Value of Warrants is Estimated Using Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model	'
	The fair value of the warrants is estimated using an appropriate pricing model with the following inputs:
		As of June 30, 2014
		September				December				April 2011			March				March				August
		2013				2012				Warrants			2011				2010				2009
		Warrants				Warrants							Warrants				Warrants				Warrants
	Strike price	$	2.5			$	1.9			$	0.65		$	0.65			$	2.15			$	4.5
	Expected term (years)	4.22				3.48				2.81			1.68				1.74				0.09
	Volatility %	75.31		%		76.81		%		79		%	85.16		%		84.25		%		79.88		%
	Risk-free rate %	1.33		%		1.06		%		0.8		%	0.35		%		0.38		%		0.02		%
		As of December 31, 2013
		September				December				April 2011			March				March				August
		2013				2012				Warrants			2011				2010				2009
		Warrants				Warrants							Warrants				Warrants				Warrants
	Strike price	$	2.5			$	1.9			$	0.65		$	0.65			$	2.15			$	4.5
	Expected term (years)	4.72				3.98				3.31			2.18				2.24				0.59
	Volatility %	71.97		%		71.38		%		71.71		%	73.45		%		73.36		%		66.85		%
	Risk-free rate %	1.61		%		1.25		%		0.93		%	0.45		%		0.47		%		0.11		%
Changes in Fair Value of Warrant Liability	'
	The changes in fair value of the warrant liability for the six months ended June 30, 2014 were as follows (in thousands):
		September				December				April 2011			March				March				August			Total
		2013				2012				Warrants			2011				2010				2009
		Warrants				Warrants							Warrants				Warrants				Warrants
	Warrant liability, January 1, 2014	$	22,950			$	18,060			$	5,069		$	763			$	945			$	1,178		$	48,965
	Fair value of warrants exercised	(12,713		)		(10,081		)		(2,905		)	—				(1,159		)		(162		)	(27,020		)
	Change in fair value of warrants	(2,745		)		(2,006		)		(615		)	(330		)		257				(1,000		)	(6,439		)
	Warrant liability, June 30, 2014	$	7,492			$	5,973			$	1,549		$	433			$	43			$	16		$	15,506

Stock_Based_Compensation_Table

Stock Based Compensation (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014										Jun. 30, 2013
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'										'
Schedule of Allocated Stock-based Compensation Expense	'										'
											The following table summarizes the components of stock-based compensation expense in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive loss for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):
												Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
												2014		2013		2014		2013
											Research and development	$	187	$	145	$	347	$	258
											Selling, general, and administrative	1,265		374		2,789		625
											Total stock-based compensation	$	1,452	$	519	$	3,136	$	883
Assumptions for Option Grants Issued	'										'
	The company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the following weighted-average assumptions to determine the fair value of all its stock options granted:
		Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014		2013		2014			2013
	Risk free interest rate	2.02	%	1.35	%	2.03	%		1.25	%
	Volatility	79.76	%	78.18	%	79.64	%		77.66	%
	Expected lives (years)	6.15		6.25		6.16			6.25
	Expected dividend yield	0	%	0	%	0	%		0	%
Stock Option Activity	'										'
	The following table summarizes option activity of the company:
		Total		Weighted			Aggregate
		Number of		Average			Intrinsic
		Shares		Exercise			Value
		(In Thousands)		Price			(In Thousands)
	Outstanding at January 1, 2014	13,159		$	2.73		$	—
	Granted	835		2.57			—
	Exercised	(3,328	)	1.3			13,207
	Cancelled	(500	)	2.13			544
	Outstanding at June 30, 2014	10,166		$	3.21		$	6,308
	Options exercisable at June 30, 2014	4,841		$	3.64		$	2,755

Other_Income_Expense_Tables

Other Income (Expense) (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Other Income (Expense)	'
	Other Income (Expense)
	Other income (expense) is summarized as follows (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended June 30,					Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014			2013		2014			2013
	Realized gain on sale of marketable securities	$	—		$	578	$	—		$	578
	Change in fair value of the contingent purchase price liability	(490		)	56		(656		)	(387		)
	Miscellaneous other income (expense)	(1		)	—		—			(3		)
	Total other income (expense)	$	(491	)	$	634	$	(656	)	$	188

Net_Loss_Per_Share_Tables

Net Loss Per Share (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Common Shares Excluded from Net Loss	'
	The following table sets forth the potentially dilutive common shares excluded from the calculation of net loss per common share because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive (in thousands):
		Three and Six Months Ended June 30,
		2014	2013
	Warrants to purchase common stock	9,460	12,405
	Options to purchase common stock	10,166	9,972
	Total	19,626	22,377

Significant_Customers_and_Conc1

Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk (Tables)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]	'
Schedules of Concentration of Risk, by Risk Factor [Table Text Block]	'
	Sales to the following customers represented 10% or more of net revenue during at least one of the periods are presented as follows:
		Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	Customer	2014		2013		2014		2013
	Customer A	38	%	—	%	45	%	—	%
	Customer B	31	%	—	%	22	%	—	%
	Customer C	7	%	—	%	10	%	—	%
	Customer D	14	%	—	%	8	%	—	%
	Customer E	5	%	—	%	10	%	—	%
	The following customers represented 10% or more of total accounts receivable as of at least one of the balance sheet dates presented:
		30-Jun-14		31-Dec-13
	Customer	(Unaudited)
	Customer A	28	%	25	%
	Customer B	45	%	11	%
	Customer C	6	%	54	%
	Customer D	11	%	7	%
	Our gross revenue is affected by the timing of customer orders, which timing sometimes results in quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in gross revenue. From time to time we have offered favorable pricing and extended payment terms to new wholesale distributor customers as an incentive to place initial Abstral orders. In the second quarter of 2014, we afforded such incentives to one of our principal customers with respect to an order from which we recognized approximately $1.5 million of gross revenue (ex-manufacturer), or approximately $0.9 million of net revenue.

Business_and_Basis_of_Presenta2

Business and Basis of Presentation (Additional Information) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule Of Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Highly-liquid debt instruments maturity days	'90 days	'	'	'	'
Inventories	$433,000	'	$433,000	'	$386,000
Inventories, work-in-process	233,000	'	233,000	'	270,000
Inventories, finished goods	200,000	'	200,000	'	116,000
Prompyt pay discount, percent of gross sales	'	'	0	'	'
Amortization of certain acquired intangible assets	98,000	0	189,000	0	'
Income tax expense (benefit)	0	1,541,000	0	-1,221,000	'
Marketable securities	'	$5,786,000	'	$5,786,000	'
Minimum [Member] | Equipment and Furnishings [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Schedule Of Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'3 years	'	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Equipment and Furnishings [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Schedule Of Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Estimated useful lives	'5 years	'	'	'	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Contin

Fair Value Measurements (Contingent Purchase Price Consideration, Measured at Estimated Fair Value on Recurring Basis) (Detail) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013
Assets:	'	'	'
Marketable securities	'	'	$5,786,000
Liabilities:	'	'	'
Warrants potentially settleable in cash	15,506,000	48,965,000	'
Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]	'	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'	'
Contingent purchase price consideration	7,477,000	6,821,000	'
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member]	'	'	'
Assets:	'	'	'
Cash equivalents	36,997,000	42,349,000	'
Total assets	36,997,000	42,349,000	'
Liabilities:	'	'	'
Warrants potentially settleable in cash	15,506,000	48,965,000	'
Contingent purchase price consideration	7,477,000	6,821,000	'
Total liabilities	22,983,000	55,786,000	'
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]	'	'	'
Assets:	'	'	'
Cash equivalents	36,997,000	42,349,000	'
Total assets	36,997,000	42,349,000	'
Liabilities:	'	'	'
Warrants potentially settleable in cash	0	0	'
Contingent purchase price consideration	0	0	'
Total liabilities	0	0	'
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]	'	'	'
Assets:	'	'	'
Cash equivalents	0	0	'
Total assets	0	0	'
Liabilities:	'	'	'
Warrants potentially settleable in cash	15,506,000	48,965,000	'
Contingent purchase price consideration	0	0	'
Total liabilities	15,506,000	48,965,000	'
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]	'	'	'
Assets:	'	'	'
Cash equivalents	0	0	'
Total assets	0	0	'
Liabilities:	'	'	'
Warrants potentially settleable in cash	0	0	'
Contingent purchase price consideration	7,477,000	6,821,000	'
Total liabilities	$7,477,000	$6,821,000	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Reconc

Fair Value Measurements (Reconciliation of Level 3 Liabilities) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Change in the estimated fair value of the contingent purchase price consideration	($490)	$56	($656)	($387)
Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]	'	'	'	'
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Beginning Balance Liabilities	'	'	6,821	'
Change in the estimated fair value of the contingent purchase price consideration	'	'	-656	'
Ending Balance Liabilities	$7,477	'	$7,477	'

Accrued_Expenses_and_Other_Cur2

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]	'	'
Contract research organizations	$5,108	$3,109
Compensation and related benefits	1,683	1,999
Patient assistance programs	2,305	2,618
Professional fees	2,343	713
Accrued Royalties, Current	280	158
Interest expense	70	70
Accrued expense and other current liabilities	$11,789	$8,667

Longterm_Debt_Details

Long-term Debt (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	8-May-13	Sep. 18, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Term for interest only payments	'12 months	'
Interest payments at the fixed coupon rate	8.45%	'
Term for principal and interest payments	'30 months	'
Cash facility fee percentage	1.00%	'
Cash final payment percentage	5.50%	'
Warrant term	'7 years	'
Number of shares availabe from warrants	'	0.35
Exercise price (usd per share)	$2.47	$2.50
Duration of average market price used for warrant exercise price	'20 days	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Number of shares availabe from warrants	182,186	'
First Tranche [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Loan, amount	$10	'

Legal_Proceedings_Commitments_1

Legal Proceedings, Commitments and Contingencies Details (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 13, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	$2,000	$2,315	$0
Mills Pharamaceuticals Milestone 1	'	2,000,000	'
Mills Pharamaceuticals Milestone 2	'	2,000,000	'
Mills Pharmaceuticals Maximum Shares Issuable for Milestones	'	3,000,000	'
Mills Pharmaceuticals - Price per share floor	'	$4.84	'
Mills Pharmaceuticals - price per share ceiling	'	$6.84	'

Stockholders_Equity_Additional

Stockholders' Equity (Additional Information) (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 23, 2013	Sep. 18, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	8-May-13
Class of Stock [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Preferred stock, shares authorized	'	'	'	5,000,000	5,000,000	'
Preferred stock, par value (usd per share)	'	'	'	$0.00	$0.00	'
Common stock, shares authorized	'	'	'	200,000,000	200,000,000	'
Common stock, par value (usd per share)	'	'	'	$0.00	$0.00	'
Issuance of common stock, shares	'	17,500,000	'	'	'	'
Share Price	'	$2	'	'	'	'
Proceeds from Issuance or Sale of Equity	$5.20	$35	'	'	'	'
Number of Shares Per Unit	'	1	'	'	'	'
Number of shares availabe from warrants	'	0.35	'	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights	'	$2.50	'	'	'	$2.47
Proceeds From Issuance or Sale of Equity, Net Underwriting Discounts, Commissions and Offering Expenses	'	'	$37.50	'	'	'
Common Stock [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Class of Stock [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Overallotment Option	'	2,625,000	'	'	'	'
Warrants to purchase common stock [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Class of Stock [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Overallotment Option	'	918,750	'	'	'	'

Stockholders_Equity_Common_Sto

Stockholders' Equity (Common Stock are Reserved for Future Issuance) (Detail)	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Equity [Abstract]	'	'
Warrants outstanding	9,460	14,850
Stock options outstanding	10,166	13,159
Options reserved for future issuance under the Company's 2007 Incentive Plan	1,592	'
Shares reserved for future issuance under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan	708	'
Total reserved for future issuance	21,926	'

Warrants_Schedule_of_Warrant_A

Warrants (Schedule of Warrant Activity) (Detail)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	14,850
Granted	'	300
Exercised	'	-5,690
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	9,460	9,460
September 2013 Warrant [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	6,442
Granted	'	0
Exercised	'	-2,469
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	3,973	3,973
Expiration	18-Sep-18	'
December 2012 Warrants [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	4,917
Granted	'	0
Exercised	'	-1,882
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	3,035	3,035
Expiration	31-Dec-17	'
April 2011 Warrants [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	1,158
Granted	'	0
Exercised	'	-543
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	615	615
Expiration	30-Apr-17	'
March 2011 Warrants [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	176
Granted	'	0
Exercised	'	0
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	176	176
Expiration	31-Mar-16	'
March 2010 Warrants [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	290
Granted	'	0
Exercised	'	-265
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	25	25
Expiration	31-Mar-16	'
August 2009 Warrants [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	978
Granted	'	0
Exercised	'	-62
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	916	916
Expiration	31-Aug-14	'
Consultant Warrants [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Warrants outstanding , Beginning balance	'	889
Granted	'	300
Exercised	'	-469
Warrants outstanding , Ending balance	720	720
Consultant Warrants [Member] | Minimum [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Expiration	31-Dec-13	'
Consultant Warrants [Member] | Maximum [Member]	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'	'
Expiration	31-Dec-20	'

Warrants_Fair_Value_of_Warrant

Warrants (Fair Value of Warrants is Estimated Using Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
December 2012 Warrants [Member]	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'	'
Strike price	'	$1.90	$1.90
Expected term (years)	'3 years 11 months 23 days	'3 years 5 months 23 days	'
Volatility %	'	76.81%	71.38%
Risk-free rate %	'	1.06%	1.25%
April 2011 Warrants [Member]	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'	'
Strike price	'	$0.65	$0.65
Expected term (years)	'3 years 3 months 22 days	'2 years 9 months 22 days	'
Volatility %	'	79.00%	71.71%
Risk-free rate %	'	0.80%	0.93%
March 2011 Warrants [Member]	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'	'
Strike price	'	$0.65	$0.65
Expected term (years)	'2 years 2 months 5 days	'1 year 8 months 5 days	'
Volatility %	'	85.16%	73.45%
Risk-free rate %	'	0.35%	0.45%
March 2010 Warrants [Member]	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'	'
Strike price	'	$2.15	$2.15
Expected term (years)	'2 years 2 months 27 days	'1 year 8 months 27 days	'
Volatility %	'	84.25%	73.36%
Risk-free rate %	'	0.38%	0.47%
August 2009 Warrants [Member]	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'	'
Strike price	'	$4.50	$4.50
Expected term (years)	'7 months 2 days	'1 month 2 days	'
Volatility %	'	79.88%	66.85%
Risk-free rate %	'	0.02%	0.11%
September 2013 Warrant [Member]	'	'	'
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'	'
Strike price	'	$2.50	$2.50
Expected term (years)	'4 years 8 months 19 days	'4 years 2 months 19 days	'
Volatility %	'	75.31%	71.97%
Risk-free rate %	'	1.33%	1.61%

Warrants_Changes_in_Fair_Value

Warrants (Changes in Fair Value of Warrant Liability) (Detail) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	$48,965
Fair value of warrants exercised	27,020
Change in fair value of warrants	-6,439
Warrant liability, Ending balance	15,506
September 2013 Warrant [Member]	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	22,950
Fair value of warrants exercised	12,713
Change in fair value of warrants	-2,745
Warrant liability, Ending balance	7,492
December 2012 Warrants [Member]	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	18,060
Fair value of warrants exercised	10,081
Change in fair value of warrants	-2,006
Warrant liability, Ending balance	5,973
April 2011 Warrants [Member]	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	5,069
Fair value of warrants exercised	2,905
Change in fair value of warrants	-615
Warrant liability, Ending balance	1,549
March 2011 Warrants [Member]	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	763
Fair value of warrants exercised	0
Change in fair value of warrants	-330
Warrant liability, Ending balance	433
March 2010 Warrants [Member]	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	945
Fair value of warrants exercised	1,159
Change in fair value of warrants	257
Warrant liability, Ending balance	43
August 2009 Warrants [Member]	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'
Warrant liability, Beginning balance	1,178
Fair value of warrants exercised	162
Change in fair value of warrants	-1,000
Warrant liability, Ending balance	$16

Warrants_Warrants_Classified_a

Warrants (Warrants Classified as Equity) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended
	8-May-13	Sep. 18, 2013
Class of Warrant or Right [Line Items]	'	'
Warrants Granted, Number of Shares	182,186	'
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights	$2.47	$2.50
Number of Days Averaged for Exercise Price	'20 days	'
Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Volatility Rate	75.34%	'
Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Term	'7 years	'
Fair Value Assumptions, Risk Free Interest Rate	1.20%	'
Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Dividend Rate	0.00%	'
Fair Value of Warrants Granted, per Share	$1.93	'

Stock_Based_Compensation_Alloc

Stock Based Compensation (Allocated Stock-based Compensation) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Allocated share based compensation expense	$1,452,000	$519,000	$3,136,000	$883,000
Research and Development [Member]	'	'	'	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Allocated share based compensation expense	187,000	145,000	347,000	258,000
Selling, General and Administrative [Member]	'	'	'	'
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Allocation of Recognized Period Costs [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Allocated share based compensation expense	$1,265,000	$374,000	$2,789,000	$625,000

Stock_Based_Compensation_Assum

Stock Based Compensation (Assumptions for Option Grants Issued) (Detail)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Risk free interest rate	2.02%	1.35%	2.03%	1.25%
Volatility	79.76%	78.18%	79.64%	77.66%
Expected lives (years)	'6 years 1 month 24 days	'6 years 3 months	'6 years 1 month 28 days	'6 years 3 months
Expected dividend yield	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Stock_Based_Compensation_Addit

Stock Based Compensation (Additional Information) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 28, 2013
					Minimum [Member]	Maximum [Member]	2007 Incentive Plan [Member]	2007 Incentive Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Weighted average exercise price, granted	$1.43	'	$1.79	'	'	'	'	'
Averages contractual term	'	'	'10 years	'	'	'	'	'
Average vesting term	'	'	'	'	'4 years	'6 years	'	'
Estimated annualized forfeiture rate for options granted to employees	'	'	15.00%	'	'	'	'	'
Estimated annualized forfeiture rate for options granted to senior management	'	'	8.00%	'	'	'	'	'
Allocated share based compensation expense	$1,452,000	$519,000	$3,136,000	$883,000	'	'	'	'
Unrecognized compensation cost	'	'	$7,936,000	'	'	'	'	'
Operating expenses weighted average period	'	'	'2 years 7 months 13 days	'	'	'	'	'
Shares of common stock reserved for issuance	'	'	'	'	'	'	16,500,000	'
Shares subject to outstanding common stock options granted	'	'	835,000	'	'	'	10,166,000	'
Shares available for future grants	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,592,000	'
Vesting periods of options granted	'	'	'	'	'	'	'4 years	'
Options expire from date of grant	'	'	'	'	'	'	'10 years	'
Closing price of the Company's common stock	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$3.06

Stock_Based_Compensation_Stock

Stock Based Compensation (Stock Option Activity) (Detail) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'
Total Number of Shares, outstanding Beginning Balance	13,159
Stock options activity, Total Number of Shares, Granted	835
Stock options activity, Total Number of Shares, Exercised	-3,328
Stock options activity, Total Number of Shares, Cancelled	-500
Total Number of Shares, outstanding Ending Balance	10,166
Total Number of Shares, exercisable	4,841
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]	'
Stock options activity, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Beginning balance	$2.73
Stock options activity, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Granted	$2.57
Stock options activity, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Exercised	$1.30
Stock options activity, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Cancelled	$2.13
Stock options activity, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Ending balance	$3.21
Stock options activity, Weighted Average Exercise Price, exercisable	$3.64
Stock options activity, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Beginning balance	$0
Stock options activity, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Granted	0
Stock options activity, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Exercised	13,207
Stock options activity, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Cancelled	544
Stock options activity, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Ending balance	6,308
Stock options activity, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, exercisable	$2,755

Other_Income_Expense_Table_Det

Other Income (Expense) Table (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Realized gain on sale of marketable securities	$0	$578	$0	$578
Change in fair value of the contingent purchase price liability	-490	56	-656	-387
Miscellaneous other income (expense)	-1	0	0	-3
Total other income (expense)	($491)	$634	($656)	$188

Net_Loss_Per_Share_Common_Shar

Net Loss Per Share (Common Shares Excluded from Net Loss) (Detail)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'
Shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise which were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share	19,626	22,377
Warrants to purchase common stock [Member]	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'
Shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise which were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share	9,460	12,405
Options to purchase common stock [Member]	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'
Shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise which were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share	10,166	9,972

License_Agreements_Additional_

License Agreements (Additional Information) (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Jan. 13, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Oct. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014
					Orexo [Member]	Orexo [Member]	M D Anderson Cancer Center [Member]
License And Collaboration Agreements [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Annual maintenance fee	'	'	'	'	'	'	$200,000
Milestone payment for Phase 3	'	'	'	'	'	'	200,000
Cash paid for acquisition of Abstral rights	'	10,086,000	0	10,083,000	'	'	'
Remaining cash held of Abstral rights	'	'	'	'	'	5,000,000	'
Estimated year of licensed patents expiration	'	'	'	'	'2019	'	'
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross	$2,000,000	'	$2,315,000	$0	'	'	'

Significant_Customers_and_Conc2

Significant Customers and Concentration of Credit Risk (Details) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Millions, unless otherwise specified

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Jun. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

products

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

Accounts Receivable [Member]

dosing_strength

Customer A [Member]

Customer A [Member]

Customer A [Member]

Customer A [Member]

Customer B [Member]

Customer B [Member]

Customer B [Member]

Customer B [Member]

Customer C [Member]

Customer C [Member]

Customer C [Member]

Customer C [Member]

Customer D [Member]

Customer D [Member]

Customer D [Member]

Customer D [Member]

Customer E [Member]

Customer E [Member]

Customer E [Member]

Customer E [Member]

Customer A [Member]

Customer A [Member]

Customer B [Member]

Customer B [Member]

Customer C [Member]

Customer C [Member]

Customer D [Member]

Customer D [Member]

Concentration Risk [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

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'

'

'

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'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of Commerical Products

1

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

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Number of Dosing Strengths

6

'

'

'

'

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'

'

'

'

'

'

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'

'

'

'

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'

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Concentration Risk, Percentage

'

38.00%

0.00%

45.00%

0.00%

31.00%

0.00%

22.00%

0.00%

7.00%

0.00%

10.00%

0.00%

14.00%

0.00%

8.00%

0.00%

5.00%

0.00%

10.00%

0.00%

28.00%

25.00%

45.00%

11.00%

6.00%

54.00%

11.00%

7.00%

Gross Revenue of Significant Order

$1.50

'

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Net Revenue of Significant Order

$0.90

'

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Subsequent_Events_Subsequent_E

Subsequent Events Subsequent Events (Details) (Subsequent Event [Member], Zuplenz [Member], USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jul. 17, 2014
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired	$5
Specified managed care milestone [Member]	'
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, contingent consideration	$0.50
Within 30 days after MonoSolbs payment of applicable fees [Member]	'
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'
Finite-lived intangible assets acquired, contingent consideration, payment period	'30 days