Overview and Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands									12 Months Ended
	Oct. 01, 2020	Sep. 29, 2020 USD ($) shares	Sep. 10, 2020	Aug. 24, 2020 USD ($) shares	Aug. 04, 2020 USD ($)	Jul. 21, 2020 USD ($) shares	Jul. 13, 2020 USD ($) shares	Jul. 10, 2020 $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Aug. 20, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Distribution, record date	Sep. 22, 2020
Stockholders' equity, reverse stock split			one-for-nine reverse stock split
Stockholders' equity, reverse stock split, ratio			0.111111111
Accumulated deficit									$ (57,993)		$ (38,185)
Common stock, par value | $ / shares								$ 0.01	$ 0.01		$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized | shares								150,000,000	150,000,000		1,070,000
Extinguishment of debt							$ 32,600
Impact from recapitalization transactions							69,879		$ 69,879
Gain on extinguishment									2,691
Additional capital contribution, shares | shares		9,000				740,000
Capital contribution, cash		$ 97				$ 8,000			$ 20,666
Financial Support, Capital Contributions
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Additional capital contribution, shares | shares				747,000
Capital contribution, cash				$ 29,000
Issuance of common stock				8,334
Stock issued during period, remaining cash contribution amount				$ 20,666
Financial Support, Capital Contributions | Maximum
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Financial support by parent for operating, investing and financing activities					$ 20,000
Common Stock
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Impact from recapitalization transactions, Shares | shares									6,221,000
Fair value of debt							$ 67,188
Impact from recapitalization transactions									$ 62
Additional capital contribution, shares | shares									2,146,000
Issuance of common stock									$ 21
Series A Preferred Stock
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of shares exchanged | shares								30,000
Preferred stock, shares outstanding | shares									0
PDL BioPharma, Inc
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Shares distribution ratio to PDL shareholders	7.5879%
Shares issued in exchange for extinguishment of Preferred stock | shares								3,415,000
PDL BioPharma, Inc | Common Stock
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Common stock shares issued in exchange for extinguishment of debt | shares							2,806,000
Impact from recapitalization transactions, Shares | shares							6,221,000
PDL BioPharma, Inc | LENSAR
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Percentage of common stock owned									81.50%
PDL BioPharma, Inc | PDLIH
Overview And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Distribution of ownership interest in its wholly owned subsidiary										100.00%