Collaborative Arrangements (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended					3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014 Common stock Theravance Biopharma	Sep. 30, 2014 GSK	Sep. 30, 2013 GSK	Sep. 30, 2014 GSK	Sep. 30, 2013 GSK	Sep. 30, 2014 GSK MABA	Oct. 31, 2014 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK	Sep. 30, 2014 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK	Sep. 30, 2013 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK	Sep. 30, 2014 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK item	Sep. 30, 2013 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK	Sep. 30, 2014 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK Minimum	Sep. 30, 2014 Long-acting beta agonist (LABA) collaboration GSK Maximum	Oct. 31, 2011 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA item	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA	Sep. 30, 2013 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA item	Sep. 30, 2013 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing '081 Maximum	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing '081 - single-agent	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing '081 - single-agent Minimum	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing '081 - single-agent Maximum	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing '081 - combination product	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing additional MABA Maximum	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing additional MABA - single-agent	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing additional MABA - single-agent Minimum	Sep. 30, 2014 2004 Strategic alliance GSK MABA containing additional MABA - single-agent Maximum	Sep. 30, 2014 Governance agreement GSK Common stock
Information related to collaborative arrangements
Royalty revenue	$ 3,962,000				$ 7,953,000					$ 3,962,000	$ 0	$ 7,953,000	$ 0
Amortization of intangible assets	(3,233,000)		0		(7,611,000)		0			(3,233,000)	0	(7,611,000)	0
Net royalty revenue	729,000	[1]	0	[1]	342,000	[1]	0	[1]		729,000	0	342,000	0
Revenue from Collaborative Arrangements	270,000		415,000		811,000		3,059,000									0	0	0	1,814,000				270,000	415,000	811,000	1,245,000
Total net revenue	999,000		415,000		1,153,000		3,059,000			999,000	415,000	1,153,000	3,059,000
Obligation for milestone payments																220,000,000		220,000,000
Number of combination products																		2
Milestone fees paid															10,000,000			210,000,000
Amount of liability accrued for milestone fees																10,000,000		10,000,000
Royalty rate for first level of annual global net sales (as a percent)																		15.00%											10.00%	20.00%				10.00%	15.00%
Annual global sales level used to determine royalty rate																		3,000,000,000										3,500,000,000					3,500,000,000
Number of preclinical MABA compounds discovered																						6
Number of products which the Counterparty is obligated to use diligent efforts to discover after license of a program																									1
Royalty rate for sales above first level of annual global net sales (as a percent)																		5.00%										7.50%					10.00%
Royalty rate for combination products (as a percent)																				6.50%	10.00%
Royalty rate for combination products as a percentage of the rate applied to single products																															70.00%		50.00%
Potential contingent payments that the Company could receive																														125,000,000
Potential contingent payments that the Company could receive in respect to single-agent and combination medicines																											250,000,000
Potential future contingent payments receivable														363,000,000																		129,000,000
Number of ordinary shares owned as marketable securities (in shares)									436,802
Company's stock purchased by related party (in shares)																																				832,650
Company's stock purchased by related party																																				$ 25,300,000

[1] Gross royalty revenue from a related party for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 is $3,962 and $7,953, respectively.