Basis of Presentation

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or “Ligand”) is a biopharmaceutical company with a business model that is based upon the concept of developing or acquiring royalty revenue generating assets and coupling them with a lean corporate cost structure. By diversifying the portfolio of assets across numerous technology types, therapeutic areas, drug targets and industry partners, the Company offers investors an opportunity to invest in the increasingly complicated and unpredictable pharmaceutical industry. These therapies address the unmet medical needs of patients for a broad spectrum of diseases including hepatitis, muscle wasting, Alzheimer’s disease, dyslipidemia, diabetes, anemia, asthma, Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, and osteoporosis. Ligand has established multiple alliances with the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Onyx Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Amgen, Inc.), Merck, Pfizer, Baxter International, Lundbeck Inc. and Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The Company’s principle market is the United States. The Company sold its Oncology Product Line (“Oncology”) and Avinza^® Product Line (“Avinza”) on October 25, 2006 and February 26, 2007, respectively. The operating results for Oncology and Avinza have been presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements as “Discontinued Operations”.

The Company has incurred significant losses since its inception. As of December 31, 2013, the Company’s accumulated deficit was $671.3 million and the Company had negative working capital of $4.1 million. Management believes that cash flows from operations will improve due to Captisol^® sales, an increase in revenues driven primarily from continued increases in Promacta^® and Kyprolis^® sales, and also from anticipated new license and milestone revenues. In the event revenues and operating cash flows are not meeting expectations, management plans to reduce discretionary expenses. However, it is possible that the Company may be required to seek additional financing. There can be no assurance that additional financing will be available on terms acceptable to management, or at all. Management believes its currently available cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments as well as its current and future royalty, license and milestone revenues will be sufficient to satisfy its anticipated operating and capital requirements through at least the next twelve months. The Company’s future operating and capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to: the pace of scientific progress in its research and development programs; the potential success of these programs; the scope and results of preclinical testing and clinical trials; the time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approvals; the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining and enforcing patent claims; competing technological and market developments; the amount of royalties on sales of the commercial products of its partners; the efforts of its collaborative partners; obligations under its operating lease agreements; costs associated with future acquisitions and the capital requirements of any companies the Company may acquire in the future. The ability of the Company to achieve its operational targets is dependent upon the Company’s ability to further implement its business plan and generate sufficient operating cash flow.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include Ligand and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Ligand JVR, Allergan Ligand Retinoid Therapeutics, Seragen, Inc., Pharmacopeia, Inc. ("Pharmacopeia"), Neurogen Corporation ("Neurogen"), CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("CyDex"), Metabasis Therapeutics ("Metabasis"), and Nexus VI, Inc. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, including disclosure of contingent assets and contingent liabilities, at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses, definite and indefinite lived intangible assets, goodwill, co-promote termination payments receivable and co-promote termination liabilities, uncertain tax positions, deferred revenue, lease exit liability and income tax net operating loss carryforwards during the reporting period. The Company’s critical accounting policies are those that are both most important to the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and require the most difficult, subjective or complex judgments on the part of management in their application, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Because of the uncertainty of factors surrounding the estimates or judgments used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements, actual results may materially vary from these estimates.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to the previously issued statement of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 for comparability purposes. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported net income, stockholders' equity and operating cash flows as previously reported.

Income (Loss) Per Share

Basic income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income or loss by the weighted average number of common shares and vested restricted stock units outstanding. Diluted income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income or loss by the weighted average number of common shares and vested restricted stock units outstanding and the weighted average number of dilutive common stock equivalents, including stock options and non-vested restricted stock units. Common stock equivalents are only included in the diluted earnings per share calculation when their effect is dilutive. Potential common shares, the shares that would be issued upon the exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants and the vesting of restricted shares that are excluded from the computation of diluted net income (loss) per share, were 0.8 million, 1.1 million and 1.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, and 2011 respectively.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share for the periods indicated (in thousands, except per share amounts):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013		2012			2011
Net income (loss) from continuing operations	$	8,832	$	(2,674	)	$	9,712
Discontinued operations	2,588		2,147			3
Net income (loss)	$	11,420	$	(527	)	$	9,715
Shares used to compute basic income (loss) per share	20,312,395		19,853,095			19,655,632
Dilutive potential common shares:
Restricted stock	352,959		—			—
Stock options	80,100		—			57,688
Shares used to compute diluted income (loss) per share	20,745,454		19,853,095			19,713,320
Basic per share amounts:
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$	0.43	$	(0.14	)	$	0.49
Discontinued operations	0.13		0.11			—
Net income (loss)	$	0.56	$	(0.03	)	$	0.49

Diluted per share amounts:
Income (loss) from continuing operations	$	0.43	$	(0.14	)	$	0.49
Discontinued operations	0.12		0.11			—
Net income (loss)	$	0.55	$	(0.03	)	$	0.49

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and highly liquid securities with original maturities of three months or less. Non-restricted equity and debt securities with a maturity of more than three months are considered short-term investments and have been classified by management as available-for-sale. Such investments are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses included in the statement of comprehensive income (loss). The Company determines the cost of investments based on the specific identification method.

The following table summarizes the various investment categories at December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012 (in thousands):



	Cost		Gross unrealized gains		Gross unrealized losses		Estimated fair value
December 31, 2013
Short-term investments	$	1,426	$	2,914	$	—	$	4,340
Certificates of deposit - restricted	1,341		—		—		1,341
	$	2,767	$	2,914	$	—	$	5,681
December 31, 2012
Available-for-sale securities-restricted	$	1,426	$	—	$	—	$	1,426
Certificates of deposit-restricted	1,341		—		—		1,341
	$	2,767	$	—	$	—	$	2,767

Restricted Cash and Investments

Restricted cash and investments consist of certificates of deposit held with a financial institution as collateral under a facility lease and third-party service provider arrangements and available-for-sale equity investments received by the Company as a result of milestone payments from a licensee. The fair value of the Company’s long-term equity investments are determined using quoted market prices in active markets and are discounted based on trading restrictions. The trading restrictions were removed during the period ending December 31, 2013 and the investments were reclassified to short-term investments.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash equivalents and investments.

The Company invests its excess cash principally in United States government debt securities, investment grade corporate debt securities and certificates of deposit. The Company has established guidelines relative to diversification and maturities that maintain safety and liquidity. These guidelines are periodically reviewed and modified to take advantage of trends in yields and interest rates. During 2013, the Company did not experience any significant losses on its cash equivalents, short-term investments or restricted investments. As of December 31, 2013, cash deposits held at financial institutions in excess of FDIC insured amounts of $250,000 were approximately $11.1 million.

Accounts receivable from two customers were 75% of total accounts receivable at December 31, 2013. Accounts receivable from two customers were 87% of total accounts receivable at December 31, 2012.

The Company obtains Captisol from a single supplier. If this supplier were not able to supply the requested amounts of Captisol, the Company would be unable to continue to derive revenues from the sale of Captisol until it obtained an alternative source, which could take a considerable length of time.

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market value. The Company determines cost using the first-in, first-out method. The Company analyzes its inventory levels periodically and writes down inventory to its net realizable value if it has become obsolete, has a cost basis in excess of its expected net realizable value or is in excess of expected requirements. There were no write downs related to obsolete inventory recorded for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the best estimate of the amount of probable losses in the Company’s existing accounts receivable. Accounts receivable that are outstanding longer than their contractual payment terms, ranging from 30 to 90 days, are considered past due. When determining the allowance for doubtful accounts, several factors are taken into consideration, including historical write-off experience and review of specific customer accounts for collectability. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after collection efforts have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. There was no allowance for doubtful accounts recorded as of December 31, 2013 and 2012.

Property and Equipment, net

Property and equipment is stated at cost and consists of the following (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2013			2012
Lab and office equipment	$	3,737		$	4,374
Leasehold improvements	387			145
Computer equipment and software	616			1,150
	4,740			5,669
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(3,873		)	(4,881		)
	$	867		$	788

Depreciation of equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets which range from three to ten years. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives or their related lease term, whichever is shorter. Depreciation expense of $0.3 million, $0.3 million and $0.5 million was recognized in 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively, and is included in operating expenses.

Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets

Goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets consist of the following (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2013			2012
Indefinite lived intangible assets
Acquired in-process research and development	$	12,556		$	13,036
Goodwill	12,238			12,238
Definite lived intangible assets
Complete technology	15,267			15,227
Less: Accumulated amortization	(2,235		)	(1,473		)
Trade name	2,642			2,642
Less: Accumulated amortization	(387		)	(256		)
Customer relationships	29,600			29,600
Less: Accumulated amortization	(4,344		)	(2,864		)
Total goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets, net	$	65,337		$	68,150

The Company accounts for goodwill in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC"), 350, Goodwill and Other Intangibles, which, among other things, establishes standards for goodwill acquired in a business combination, eliminates the amortization of goodwill and requires the carrying value of goodwill and certain non-amortizing intangibles to be evaluated for impairment on an annual basis. The Company uses the income approach and the market approach, each weighted at 50%, when performing its goodwill analysis. For the income approach, the Company considers the present value of future cash flows and the carrying value of its assets and liabilities, including goodwill. The market approach is based on an analysis of revenue multiples of guideline public companies. If the carrying value of the assets and liabilities, including goodwill, were to exceed the Company’s estimation of the fair value, the Company would record an impairment charge in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying value of goodwill over the implied fair value of the goodwill. The Company performs an evaluation of goodwill as of December 31 of each year, absent any indicators of earlier impairment, to ensure that impairment charges, if applicable, are reflected in the Company's financial results before December 31 of each year. When it is determined that impairment has occurred, a charge to operations is recorded. Goodwill and other intangible asset balances are included in the identifiable assets of the business segment to which they have been assigned. Any goodwill impairment, as well as the amortization of other purchased intangible assets, is charged against the respective business segments’ operating income. As of December 31, 2013, 2012, and 2011 there has been no impairment of goodwill for continuing operations.

Amortization of definite lived intangible assets is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset of 20 years. Amortization expense of $2.4 million, $2.4 million and $2.3 million was recognized in 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively. Estimated amortization expense for the years ending December 31, 2014 through 2018 is $2.4 million per year.

In January 2011, the Company completed its acquisition of CyDex. As a result of the transaction, the Company recorded $47.5 million of intangible assets with definite lives. The weighted-average amortization period for the identified intangible assets with definite lives is 20 years. In addition, the Company recorded $3.2 million of acquired In-Process Research and Development ("IPR&D") and $11.5 million of goodwill.

Acquired in-process research and development

Intangible assets related to acquired IPR&D are considered to be indefinite-lived until the completion or abandonment of the associated research and development efforts. During the period the assets are considered to be indefinite-lived, they will not be amortized but will be tested for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if the Company becomes aware of any events occurring or changes in circumstances that would indicate a reduction in the fair value of the IPR&D projects below their respective carrying amounts. If and when development is complete, which generally occurs if and when regulatory approval to market a product is obtained, the associated assets would be deemed finite-lived and would then be amortized based on their respective estimated useful lives at that point in time. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $0.5 million for the write-off of IPR&D for Captisol-enabled intravenous Clopidogrel. The impairment analysis was performed based on the income method using a Monte Carlo analysis. The asset was impaired upon notification from MedCo that they intended to terminate the license agreement and return the rights of the compound to the Company. Captisol-enabled intravenous Clopidogrel is an intravenous formulation of the anti-platelet medication designed for situations where the administration of oral platelet inhibitors is not feasible or desirable. For the year ended December 31, 2012, there was no impairment of IPR&D.

During 2011, the impairment analysis performed by management resulted in the write-off of certain acquired in process research and development assets. The Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $1.1 million for the write-off of the net book value of the IPR&D and interests in future milestones and royalties for MEDI-528, an IL-9 antibody program by AstraZeneca’s subsidiary, MedImmune. The asset was impaired upon receipt of notice from MedImmune in September 2011 that it was exercising its right to terminate the collaboration and license agreement.

Additionally, in 2011, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $1.2 million for the write-off of IPR&D and interests in future milestones for TRPV1, a collaborative research and licensing program between the Company and Merck, related to the physiology, pharmacology, chemistry and potential therapeutic applications and potential clinical utilities related to Vanilloid Receptors, subtype 1. The asset was impaired upon receipt of notice from Merck that it was exercising its right to terminate the collaboration and license agreement. Subsequent to the termination of the agreement, the Company received an exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free (but subject to any third party royalty obligations), fully-paid world-wide license, with the right to sub-license, under specified patents and technology for the research, development, or commercialization of specified compounds and products in a limited field of use.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Management reviews long-lived assets for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. Fair value for the Company’s long-lived assets is determined using the expected cash flows discounted at a rate commensurate with the risk involved.

As of December 31, 2013, management does not believe there have been any events or circumstances indicating that the carrying amount of its remaining long-lived assets may not be recoverable.

Commercial license rights

Commercial license rights represent a portfolio of future milestone and royalty payment rights acquired in accordance with the Royalty Stream and Milestone Payments Purchase Agreement entered into with Selexis SA ("Selexis") in April 2013. The portfolio consists of over 15 Selexis commercial license agreement programs with various pharmaceutical-company counterparties. The purchase price was $4.6 million, inclusive of acquisition costs. The Company paid $3.6 million upon closing and expects to pay $1.0 million in April 2014. Individual commercial license rights acquired under the agreement are carried at allocated cost and approximate fair value. The carrying value of the license rights will be reduced on a pro-rata basis as revenue is realized over the term of the agreement. Declines in the fair value of individual license rights below their carrying value that are deemed to be other than temporary are reflected in earnings in the period such determination is made.

Contingent Liabilities

In connection with the Company’s acquisition of CyDex in January 2011, the Company recorded a $17.6 million contingent liability, inclusive of the $4.3 million payment made in January 2012, for amounts potentially due to holders of the CyDex contingent value rights ("CVR's") and former license holders. The initial fair value of the liability was determined using the income approach incorporating the estimated future cash flows from potential milestones and revenue sharing. These cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate of 21.6%. The liability will be periodically assessed based on events and circumstances related to the underlying milestones, and the change in fair value will be recorded in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The carrying amount of the liability may fluctuate significantly and actual amounts paid under the CVR agreements may be materially different than the carrying amount of the liability. The fair value of the liability at December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $9.3 million and $10.9 million, respectively. The Company recorded a fair value adjustment to decrease the liability for CyDex related contingent liabilities of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, to increase the liability by $3.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2012, and to decrease the liability by $0.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2011. Contingent liabilities decreased for cash payments to CVR holders by $1.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2013, $8.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2012 and $2.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2011.

In connection with the Company’s acquisition of Metabasis in January 2010, the Company issued Metabasis stockholders four tradable CVRs, one CVR from each of four respective series of CVR, for each Metabasis share. The CVRs will entitle Metabasis stockholders to cash payments as frequently as every six months as cash is received by the Company from proceeds from Metabasis’ partnership with Roche (which has been terminated) or the sale or partnering of any of the Metabasis drug development programs, among other triggering events. The acquisition-date fair value of the CVRs of $9.1 million was determined using quoted market prices of Metabasis common stock in active markets. The fair values of the CVRs are remeasured at each reporting date through the term of the related agreement. Changes in the fair values are reported in the statement of operations as income (decreases) or expense (increases). The carrying amount of the liability may fluctuate significantly based upon quoted market prices and actual amounts paid under the agreements may be materially different than the carrying amount of the liability. The fair value of the liability was $4.2 million and $0 as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The Company recorded an increase in the liability for CVRs of $4.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2013, a decrease of $1.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2012 and an increase of $1.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2011.

In connection with the Company’s acquisition of Neurogen in December 2009, the Company issued to Neurogen stockholders four CVRs; real estate, Aplindore, VR1 and H3, that entitle them to cash and/or shares of third-party stock under certain circumstances. The Company recorded the acquisition-date fair value of the CVRs as part of the purchase price. The acquisition-date fair value of the real estate CVR of $3.2 million was estimated using the net proceeds from a pending sale transaction and recorded as a payable to stockholders at December 31, 2009. In February 2010, the Company completed the sale of the real estate and subsequently distributed the proceeds to the holders of the real estate CVR. As a result and after final settlement of all related expenses, the real estate CVR was terminated in August 2010. In 2012, the Company received a notice from a collaborative partner that it was terminating its agreement related to VR1 for convenience and subsequently the Company recorded a decrease in the fair value of the liability for the related CVR of $0.2 million. Additionally, per the CVR agreement, no payment event date for the H3 program can occur after December 23, 2012 and the Company recorded a decrease in the fair value of the liability for the related CVR of $0.5 million as of that date. There are no remaining CVR obligations under the agreement with the former Neurogen shareholders.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is defined as the exit price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability. Fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined using assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The Company establishes a three-level hierarchy to prioritize the inputs used in measuring fair value. The levels are described in the below with level 1 having the highest priority and level 3 having the lowest:

Level 1 - Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets

Level 2 - Inputs other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the Company to develop its own assumptions

The Company’s long-term investments include investments in equity securities which were subject to trading restrictions. Additionally, there is a liability related to the investment in equity securities for amounts owed to former license holders. The fair value of the investments was previously determined using quoted market prices in active markets and discounted for the restrictive effect. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the trading restrictions were removed and the investments were reclassified to short-term investments. The Metabasis CVR liability is marked-to-market at each reporting period based upon the quoted market prices of the underlying CVR. The fair value of the CyDex contingent liabilities are determined at each reporting period based upon an income valuation model. The co-promote termination payments receivable represents a non-interest bearing receivable for future payments to be made by Pfizer and is recorded at its fair value. The receivable and liability will remain equal and adjusted each quarter for changes in the fair value of the obligation including any changes in the estimate of future net Avinza product sales.

The Company evaluates its financial instruments at each reporting period to determine if any transfers between the various three-level hierarchy have occurred and appropriately reclassifies its financial instruments to the appropriate level within the hierarchy.

Treasury Stock

The Company may on occasion repurchase its common stock on the open market or in private transactions. When such stock is repurchased it is not constructively or formally retired and may be reissued if certain regulatory requirements are met; however, the Company may from time to time choose to retire the shares of common stock held in its treasury. The purchase price of the common stock repurchased is charged to treasury stock. During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company retired 1,118,222 shares of its common stock held in treasury.

Revenue Recognition

Royalties on sales of products commercialized by the Company’s partners are recognized in the quarter reported by the respective partner. Generally, the Company receives royalty reports from its licensees approximately one quarter in arrears due to the fact that its agreements require partners to report product sales between 30-60 days after the end of the quarter. The Company recognizes royalty revenues when it can reliably estimate such amounts and collectability is reasonably assured. Under this accounting policy, the royalty revenues reported are not based upon estimates and such royalty revenues are typically reported in the same period in which payment is received.

Revenue from material sales of Captisol is recognized upon transfer of title, which normally passes upon shipment to the customer. The Company’s credit and exchange policy includes provisions for the return of product between 30 to 90 days, depending on the specific terms of the individual agreement, when that product (1) does not meet specifications, (2) is damaged in shipment (in limited circumstances where title does not transfer until delivery), or (3) is exchanged for an alternative grade of Captisol. The Company records revenue net of sales tax collected and remitted to government authorities.

Revenue from research funding under the Company’s collaboration agreements is earned and recognized on a percentage-of-completion basis as research hours are incurred in accordance with the provisions of each agreement.

Nonrefundable, up-front license fees and milestone payments with standalone value that are not dependent on any future performance by the Company under its collaboration agreements are recognized as revenue upon the earlier of when payments are received or collection is assured, but are deferred if the Company has continuing performance obligations. Amounts received under multiple-element arrangements requiring ongoing services or performance by the Company are recognized over the period of such services or performance. The Company occasionally has sub-license obligations related to arrangements for which it receives license fees, milestones and royalties. The Company evaluates the determination of gross versus net reporting based on each individual agreement.

Sales-based milestone revenue is accounted for similarly to royalties, with revenue recognized upon achievement of the milestone assuming all other revenue recognition criteria for milestones are met. Revenue from development and regulatory milestones is recognized when earned, as evidenced by written acknowledgement from the collaborator, provided that (i) the milestone event is substantive, its achievability was not reasonably assured at the inception of the agreement, and the Company has no further performance obligations relating to that event, and (ii) collectability is reasonably assured. If these criteria are not met, the milestone payment is recognized over the remaining period of the Company’s performance obligations under the arrangement.

The Company analyzes its revenue arrangements and other agreements to determine whether there are multiple elements that should be separated and accounted for individually or as a single unit of accounting. For multiple element contracts, arrangement consideration is allocated at the inception of the arrangement to all deliverables on the basis of relative selling price, using a hierarchy to determine selling price. Management first considers vendor-specific objective evidence ("VSOE"), then third-party evidence ("TPE") and if neither VSOE nor TPE exist, the Company uses its best estimate of selling price.

Many of the Company's revenue arrangements involve the bundling of a license with the option to purchase manufactured product. Licenses are granted to pharmaceutical companies for the use of Captisol in the development of pharmaceutical compounds. The licenses may be granted for the use of the Captisol product for all phases of clinical trials and through commercial availability of the host drug or may be limited to certain phases of the clinical trial process. The Company believes that its licenses have stand-alone value at the outset of an arrangement because the customer obtains the right to use Captisol in its formulations without any additional input by the Company, and in a hypothetical stand-alone transaction, the customer would be able to procure inventory from another manufacturer in the absence of contractual provisions for exclusive supply by the Company.

Cost of Goods Sold

The Company determines cost using the first-in, first-out method. Cost of goods sold include all costs of purchase and other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition, costs to store, and distribute.

Preclinical Study and Clinical Trial Accruals

Substantial portions of the Company’s preclinical studies and all of the Company’s clinical trials have been performed by third-party laboratories, contract research organizations, or other vendors ("CROs"). Some CROs bill monthly for services performed, while others bill based upon milestone achievement. The Company accrues for each of the significant agreements it has with CROs on a monthly basis. For preclinical studies, accruals are estimated based upon the percentage of work completed and the contract milestones achieved. For clinical studies, accruals are estimated based upon a percentage of work completed, the number of patients enrolled and the duration of the study. The Company monitors patient enrollment, the progress of clinical studies and related activities to the extent possible through internal reviews of data reported to it by the CROs, correspondence with the CROs and clinical site visits. The Company’s estimates are dependent upon the timelines and accuracy of the data provided by its CROs regarding the status of each program and total program spending. The Company periodically evaluates its estimates to determine if adjustments are necessary or appropriate based on information it receives concerning changing circumstances, and conditions or events that may affect such estimates. No material adjustments to preclinical study and clinical trial accrued expenses have been recognized to date.

Sale of Royalty Rights

The Company previously sold to third parties the rights to future royalties of certain of its products. As part of the underlying royalty agreements, the partners have the right to offset a portion of any future royalty payments owed to the Company to the extent of previous milestone payments. Accordingly, the Company deferred a portion of the revenue associated with each tranche of royalty right sold, equal to the pro-rata share of the potential royalty offset. Such amounts associated with the offset rights against future royalty payments will reduce this balance upon receipt of future royalties from the respective partners. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company had deferred $0.1 million and $0.8 million of revenue, respectively.

Product Returns

In connection with the sale of the Avinza and Oncology product lines, the Company retained the obligation for returns of product that were shipped to wholesalers prior to the close of the transactions. The accruals for product returns, which were recorded as part of the accounting for the sales transactions, are based on historical experience. Any subsequent changes to the Company’s estimate of product returns are accounted for as a component of discontinued operations.

Costs and Expenses

Collaborative research and development expense consists of labor, material, equipment and allocated facilities cost of the Company’s scientific staff who are working pursuant to the Company’s collaborative agreements. From time to time, collaborative research and development expense includes costs related to research efforts in excess of those required under certain collaborative agreements. Management has the discretion to set the scope of such excess efforts and may increase or decrease the level of such efforts depending on the Company’s strategic priorities.

Proprietary research and development expense consists of intellectual property in-licensing costs, labor, materials, contracted services, and allocated facility costs that are incurred in connection with internally funded drug discovery and development programs.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of differences between the tax basis of assets or liabilities and their carrying amounts in the consolidated financial statements. A valuation allowance is provided for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that these items will either expire before the Company is able to realize their benefit or if future deductibility is uncertain. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company had provided a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets as recoverability was uncertain. Developing the provision for income taxes requires significant judgment and expertise in federal and state income tax laws, regulations and strategies, including the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities and, if necessary, any valuation allowances that may be required for deferred tax assets. Management's judgments and tax strategies are subject to audit by various taxing authorities. While the Company believes it has provided adequately for its income tax liabilities in its consolidated financial statements, adverse determinations by these taxing authorities could have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

The Company's ending deferred tax liability represents a future tax obligation for current tax amortization claimed on acquired IPR&D. As the Company cannot estimate when the IPR&D assets will be amortizable for financial reporting purposes, the deferred tax liability associated with the IPR&D assets cannot be used to support the realization of the Company's deferred tax assets. As a result, the Company is required to increase its valuation allowance and record a charge to deferred taxes.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation expense for awards to employees and non-employee directors is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period until the last tranche vests. The Company grants options and awards to employees, non-employee consultants, and non-employee directors. Only new shares of common stock are issued upon the exercise of stock options. Non-employee directors are accounted for as employees. Options and restricted stock granted to certain directors vest in equal monthly installments over one year from the date of grant. Options granted to employees vest 1/8 on the six month anniversary of the date of grant, and 1/48 each month thereafter for forty-two months. All option awards generally expire ten years from the date of grant.

The fair-value for options that were awarded to employees and directors was estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following weighted average assumptions:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013	2012	2011
Risk-free interest rate	1.13%-1.82%	0.83%-1.14%	1.09%-2.61%
Dividend yield	—	—	—
Expected volatility	70%	69%	69%
Expected term	6 years	6 years	6 years
Forfeiture rate	8.4%-9.8%	8.0%-11.2%	8.9%-14.1%

The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve at the time of the grant. The expected term of the employee and non-employee director options is the estimated weighted-average period until exercise or cancellation of vested options (forfeited unvested options are not considered) based on historical experience. The expected term for consultant awards is the remaining period to contractual expiration. Volatility is a measure of the expected amount of variability in the stock price over the expected life of an option expressed as a standard deviation. In making this assumption, the Company used the historical volatility of the Company’s stock price over a period equal to the expected term. The forfeiture rate is based on historical data at the time of the grant.

The following table summarizes share-based compensation expense recorded as components of research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses for the periods indicated (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2013		2012		2011
Share-based compensation expense as a component of:
Research and development expenses	$	1,705	$	1,448	$	1,072
General and administrative expenses	3,961		2,619		2,279
	$	5,666	$	4,067	$	3,351

Segment reporting

Under Accounting Standards Codification No. 280, “Segment Reporting” (ASC 280), operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the entity’s chief operating decision maker, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company has evaluated ASC 280 and has identified two reportable segments: the development and commercialization of drugs using Captisol technology by CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the biopharmaceutical company with a business model that is based upon the concept of developing or acquiring royalty revenue generating assets and coupling them with a lean corporate cost structure of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) represents net income (loss) adjusted for the change during the periods presented in unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities less reclassification adjustments for realized gains or losses included in net income (loss). The unrealized gains or losses are reported on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

New Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2012-02, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other: Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment in ASU 2012-02. ASU 2012-02 allows a company the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test. Under that option, a company would no longer be required to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset unless the company determines, based on that qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual and interim indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests performed for periods beginning after September 15, 2012. The Company adopted this standard for the year ended December 31, 2012. The adoption of ASU 2012-02 did not have a material impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-02, Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Under ASU 2013-02, an entity is required to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income ("AOCI") by component. In addition, an entity is required to present, either on the face of the financial statements or in the notes, significant amounts reclassified out of AOCI by the respective line items of net income, but only if the amount reclassified is required to be reclassified in its entirety in the same reporting period. For amounts that are not required to be reclassified in their entirety to net income, an entity is required to cross-reference to other disclosures that provide additional details about those amounts. Implementing ASU 2013-02 did not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in the financial statements. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the Company for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after January 1, 2014.

In July, 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-11, Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. ASU 2013-11 requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits (UTBs) against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. UTBs are required to be netted against all available same-jurisdiction loss or other tax carryforwards that would be utilized, rather than only against carryforwards that are created by the UTBs. ASU 2013-11 is effective for the Company for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The Company is currently evaluating the effect, if any, the adoption of this standard will have on its financial statements.