Description of Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business	NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS Medivation, Inc. (the “Company” or “Medivation”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of medically innovative therapies to treat serious diseases for which there are limited treatment options. Through the Company’s collaboration with Astellas Pharma, Inc. or Astellas, it has one commercial product, XTANDI^® (enzalutamide) capsules, or XTANDI. XTANDI has received marketing approval in the United States, Europe, and numerous other countries worldwide for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC, and in Japan for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, or CRPC. Since its launch in the United States in September 2012, and subsequent launch in additional countries, XTANDI’s worldwide net sales (as reported by Astellas) were approximately $1.9 billion through March 31, 2015. The Company and Astellas are also conducting investigational studies of enzalutamide in prostate cancer and in advanced breast cancer. Under the Company’s collaboration agreement with Astellas, it shares with Astellas equally all profits (losses) related to U.S. net sales of XTANDI. The Company also receives royalties ranging from the low teens to the low twenties on ex-U.S. XTANDI net sales and certain milestone payments upon the achievement of defined development and sales events. The Company seeks to become a global fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company through the continued commercialization of XTANDI, the acquisition or in-license and development and commercialization of other product opportunities, and through the advancement of its own proprietary research and development programs. The Company expects that its future growth may come from both internal research efforts and third party business development activities. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company licensed exclusive worldwide rights to pidilizumab (which is referred to as MDV9300), an immune modulatory, anti-Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody for all potential indications from CureTech, Ltd., or CureTech. Under the license agreement, the Company is responsible for all development, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercialization activities for MDV9300. The Company currently anticipates that it may initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating MDV9300 in one or more hematologic malignancies as early as in 2015. The Company is also considering evaluating MDV9300 in other indications, including but not limited to in combination with enzalutamide in breast and prostate cancer. In addition, the Company’s internal research and discovery efforts are focused, among other areas, in oncology and neurology. The Company has incurred cumulative net losses of $60.8 million from inception through March 31, 2015, and may incur substantial costs in the foreseeable future as it continues to finance the commercialization of XTANDI in the U.S. market, clinical and preclinical studies of enzalutamide, MDV9300 and its early-stage programs, potential business development activities, and its corporate overhead costs. 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 upfront, milestone, and cost-sharing payments under collaboration agreements, and subsequent to September 13, 2012, from collaboration revenue related to XTANDI net sales. As of March 31, 2015, the Company may earn up to $245.0 million of remaining sales milestones under the Astellas Collaboration Agreement.

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Medivation, Inc. (the “Company” or “Medivation”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of medically innovative therapies to treat serious diseases for which there are limited treatment options. Through the Company’s collaboration with Astellas Pharma, Inc. or Astellas, it has one commercial product, XTANDI^® (enzalutamide) capsules, or XTANDI. XTANDI has received marketing approval in the United States, Europe, and numerous other countries worldwide for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, or mCRPC, and in Japan for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, or CRPC. Since its launch in the United States in September 2012, and subsequent launch in additional countries, XTANDI’s worldwide net sales (as reported by Astellas) were approximately $1.9 billion through March 31, 2015. The Company and Astellas are also conducting investigational studies of enzalutamide in prostate cancer and in advanced breast cancer. Under the Company’s collaboration agreement with Astellas, it shares with Astellas equally all profits (losses) related to U.S. net sales of XTANDI. The Company also receives royalties ranging from the low teens to the low twenties on ex-U.S. XTANDI net sales and certain milestone payments upon the achievement of defined development and sales events.

The Company seeks to become a global fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company through the continued commercialization of XTANDI, the acquisition or in-license and development and commercialization of other product opportunities, and through the advancement of its own proprietary research and development programs. The Company expects that its future growth may come from both internal research efforts and third party business development activities. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company licensed exclusive worldwide rights to pidilizumab (which is referred to as MDV9300), an immune modulatory, anti-Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody for all potential indications from CureTech, Ltd., or CureTech. Under the license agreement, the Company is responsible for all development, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercialization activities for MDV9300. The Company currently anticipates that it may initiate a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating MDV9300 in one or more hematologic malignancies as early as in 2015. The Company is also considering evaluating MDV9300 in other indications, including but not limited to in combination with enzalutamide in breast and prostate cancer. In addition, the Company’s internal research and discovery efforts are focused, among other areas, in oncology and neurology.

The Company has incurred cumulative net losses of $60.8 million from inception through March 31, 2015, and may incur substantial costs in the foreseeable future as it continues to finance the commercialization of XTANDI in the U.S. market, clinical and preclinical studies of enzalutamide, MDV9300 and its early-stage programs, potential business development activities, and its corporate overhead costs. 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 upfront, milestone, and cost-sharing payments under collaboration agreements, and subsequent to September 13, 2012, from collaboration revenue related to XTANDI net sales. As of March 31, 2015, the Company may earn up to $245.0 million of remaining sales milestones under the Astellas Collaboration Agreement.