Subsequent Event (Details) $ in Millions	Apr. 26, 2019 USD ($)
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Royalty Expense	$ 4.5
lxrx_royalty expense_approval of sotagliflozin	$ 1.5

Amount of expense related to royalty payments under a contractual arrangement such as payment for mineral and drilling rights and use of technology or intellectual property.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.3)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=115205541&loc=SL114868664-224227

Name:	us-gaap_RoyaltyExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration