Description of Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business	NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS Medivation, Inc. (the “Company” or “Medivation”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the rapid development and commercialization of novel therapies to treat serious diseases for which there are limited treatment options. The Company selects technologies for development that meet three primary criteria, namely, the technology has: (a) in the judgment of the Company’s scientific leadership, an above-average likelihood of working; (b) strong intellectual property and/or data exclusivity protection; and (c) the ability to target one or more serious diseases for which existing technologies are suboptimal. When selecting technologies for development, the Company focuses primarily on those that it believes have the ability to enter human studies within 12-18 months. The Company considers technologies without regard to therapeutic indication or therapeutic modality (i.e., small molecules, biologics, medical devices, etc). The Company may develop technologies through its own internal research activities, or in-license technologies from academic institutions or other third parties. Once the Company selects a technology for development, it seeks to advance it quickly, strategically and cost-effectively to commercialization. The Company’s commercialization strategy for any of its product candidates that receive marketing approval will vary depending on the target customer base for that product candidate, the Company’s then current commercial capabilities, the extent to which the Company deems it prudent and cost-effective to build additional internal capabilities, and the availability, quality and cost of third-party commercialization partners. The Company’s most advanced program is XTANDI^® (enzalutamide) capsules, which is partnered with Astellas Pharma Inc., or Astellas. The Company in-licensed the intellectual property rights covering XTANDI in 2005, began its first clinical trial in 2007, entered into a collaboration agreement with Astellas in 2009, reported positive Phase 3 overall survival data in 2011 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have previously received docetaxel, or post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients, and on August 31, 2012, received regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients. The Company and Astellas began co-promoting XTANDI for that indication in the United States on September 13, 2012. On April 25, 2013, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, recommended European Commission, or EC, approval for XTANDI for the treatment of adult men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer whose disease has progressed on or after docetaxel therapy. The CHMP’s positive recommendation will be reviewed by the EC, which has the authority to approve medicines for the European Union. Marketing applications for XTANDI for the treatment of post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients are also under review in Switzerland, South Korea, Canada, and Brazil. Together with Astellas, the Company is also conducting multiple trials of enzalutamide in earlier prostate cancer disease states, including the Phase 3 PREVAIL trial in patients with mCRPC who have not received chemotherapy, or pre-chemotherapy mCRPC, and in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The Company also has ongoing programs with other agents in multiple different indications in early stages of research and development. These early-stage programs are unpartnered. In January 2012, the Company’s former collaboration partner Pfizer, Inc., or Pfizer, exercised its right to terminate the Company’s collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of the Company’s former product candidate dimebon for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington disease, due to negative Phase 3 trial results in both indications. The Company and Pfizer discontinued development of dimebon for all indications in January 2012, and completed the wind-down of each of its respective remaining collaboration activities in the third quarter of 2012. The Company has funded its operations primarily through public offerings of its common stock, the issuance of 2.625% convertible senior notes due April 1, 2017, or the Convertible Notes, from up-front, development milestone and cost-sharing payments under its collaboration agreement with Astellas, or the Astellas Collaboration Agreement, and its former collaboration agreement with Pfizer and, subsequent to September 13, 2012, from collaboration revenue attributable to U.S. XTANDI sales. The Company has incurred cumulative net losses of $318.7 million through March 31, 2013, and expects to incur substantial additional losses for the foreseeable future as it continues to finance the commercialization of XTANDI in the U.S. market, clinical and preclinical studies of enzalutamide and the Company’s early-stage technologies, and its corporate overhead costs. The Company does not know when, or if, it will become profitable, or whether XTANDI will be approved for sale in the U.S. market for any indication other than treatment of post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients, or will be approved for sale in any other market for any indication.

NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Medivation, Inc. (the “Company” or “Medivation”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the rapid development and commercialization of novel therapies to treat serious diseases for which there are limited treatment options. The Company selects technologies for development that meet three primary criteria, namely, the technology has: (a) in the judgment of the Company’s scientific leadership, an above-average likelihood of working; (b) strong intellectual property and/or data exclusivity protection; and (c) the ability to target one or more serious diseases for which existing technologies are suboptimal. When selecting technologies for development, the Company focuses primarily on those that it believes have the ability to enter human studies within 12-18 months. The Company considers technologies without regard to therapeutic indication or therapeutic modality (i.e., small molecules, biologics, medical devices, etc). The Company may develop technologies through its own internal research activities, or in-license technologies from academic institutions or other third parties. Once the Company selects a technology for development, it seeks to advance it quickly, strategically and cost-effectively to commercialization. The Company’s commercialization strategy for any of its product candidates that receive marketing approval will vary depending on the target customer base for that product candidate, the Company’s then current commercial capabilities, the extent to which the Company deems it prudent and cost-effective to build additional internal capabilities, and the availability, quality and cost of third-party commercialization partners.

The Company’s most advanced program is XTANDI^® (enzalutamide) capsules, which is partnered with Astellas Pharma Inc., or Astellas. The Company in-licensed the intellectual property rights covering XTANDI in 2005, began its first clinical trial in 2007, entered into a collaboration agreement with Astellas in 2009, reported positive Phase 3 overall survival data in 2011 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have previously received docetaxel, or post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients, and on August 31, 2012, received regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients. The Company and Astellas began co-promoting XTANDI for that indication in the United States on September 13, 2012. On April 25, 2013, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP, recommended European Commission, or EC, approval for XTANDI for the treatment of adult men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer whose disease has progressed on or after docetaxel therapy. The CHMP’s positive recommendation will be reviewed by the EC, which has the authority to approve medicines for the European Union. Marketing applications for XTANDI for the treatment of post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients are also under review in Switzerland, South Korea, Canada, and Brazil. Together with Astellas, the Company is also conducting multiple trials of enzalutamide in earlier prostate cancer disease states, including the Phase 3 PREVAIL trial in patients with mCRPC who have not received chemotherapy, or pre-chemotherapy mCRPC, and in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The Company also has ongoing programs with other agents in multiple different indications in early stages of research and development. These early-stage programs are unpartnered.

In January 2012, the Company’s former collaboration partner Pfizer, Inc., or Pfizer, exercised its right to terminate the Company’s collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of the Company’s former product candidate dimebon for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington disease, due to negative Phase 3 trial results in both indications. The Company and Pfizer discontinued development of dimebon for all indications in January 2012, and completed the wind-down of each of its respective remaining collaboration activities in the third quarter of 2012.

The Company has funded its operations primarily through public offerings of its common stock, the issuance of 2.625% convertible senior notes due April 1, 2017, or the Convertible Notes, from up-front, development milestone and cost-sharing payments under its collaboration agreement with Astellas, or the Astellas Collaboration Agreement, and its former collaboration agreement with Pfizer and, subsequent to September 13, 2012, from collaboration revenue attributable to U.S. XTANDI sales. The Company has incurred cumulative net losses of $318.7 million through March 31, 2013, and expects to incur substantial additional losses for the foreseeable future as it continues to finance the commercialization of XTANDI in the U.S. market, clinical and preclinical studies of enzalutamide and the Company’s early-stage technologies, and its corporate overhead costs. The Company does not know when, or if, it will become profitable, or whether XTANDI will be approved for sale in the U.S. market for any indication other than treatment of post-chemotherapy mCRPC patients, or will be approved for sale in any other market for any indication.