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Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail)
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12 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | 1 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dec. 31, 2013
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2012
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2011
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2013
CAD
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Dec. 31, 2013
Excess lease facility [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2012
Excess lease facility [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2013
Other Long Term Assets [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2013
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. and University of British Columbia [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2013
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. and University of British Columbia [Member]
Collaboration arrangement [Member]
CAD
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Dec. 31, 2013
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. [Member]
Collaboration arrangement [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2013
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. [Member]
Collaboration arrangement [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2009
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. [Member]
Collaboration arrangement [Member]
USD ($)
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Dec. 31, 2013
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. [Member]
Collaboration arrangement [Member]
USD ($)
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| Other Commitments [Line Items] | |||||||||||||
| Collaboration agreement aggregate amount | $ 50,000,000 | ||||||||||||
| Maximum amount receivable | 370,000,000 | 370,000,000 | |||||||||||
| Equity investment | 53,777,000 | 10,000,000 | |||||||||||
| Required contribution for direct and indirect development costs | 30,000,000 | ||||||||||||
| Direct and indirect costs incurred | 30,000,000 | ||||||||||||
| Milestone payments | 1,600,000 | 7,750,000 | |||||||||||
| Amount receivable by Isis from TEVA as a milestone payment | 30.00% | ||||||||||||
| Percentage of un-spent portion to be paid | 30.00% | 30.00% | |||||||||||
| Obligation to pay patent costs and annual license maintenance fees | 8,000 | ||||||||||||
| Milestone payment | 100,000 | 800,000 | |||||||||||
| Expiry period of agreement of patented license | 20 years | ||||||||||||
| Range of each product line | 10 years | ||||||||||||
| Milestone payment due | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | |||||||||||
| Period of milestone payment | 21 days | 21 days | |||||||||||
| Reserve for contingency of non payment of non-royalty milestone amount | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | ||||||||||
| Milestone payment made | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | ||||||||||
| Balance amount of milestone payment | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | ||||||||||
| Expiration of operating lease agreement | 2014-09 | ||||||||||||
| Future minimum annual lease payments under the Vancouver lease | 80,000 | ||||||||||||
| Expiration of non-cancellable operating lease agreement | 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Cash security deposit | 500,000 | ||||||||||||
| Standby letter of credit | 300,000 | ||||||||||||
| Lease liability | 3,906,000 | 4,586,000 | |||||||||||
| Consolidated rent and operating expense | 2,800,000 | 2,700,000 | 2,600,000 | ||||||||||
| Expenses related to indemnification issues | $ 0 | ||||||||||||