Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	*Basis of Presentation* The accompanying Financial Statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and do not include all of the information and note disclosures required by the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. The Financial Statements should therefore be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements and Notes thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 24, 2012. The accompanying Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the Financial Statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on management’s knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results may be different from those estimates. The Financial Statements reflect all adjustments of a normal, recurring nature that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of results for these interim periods. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012.
Reverse Merger	*Reverse Merger* On November 2, 2011, Trimeris closed the Reverse Merger with Synageva BioPharma Corp., a privately held Delaware corporation (“Private Synageva”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated as of June 13, 2011 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Trimeris, Private Synageva and Tesla Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Trimeris (“Merger Sub”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Private Synageva became a wholly owned subsidiary of Trimeris through a merger of Merger Sub with and into Private Synageva, and the former stockholders of Private Synageva received shares of Trimeris that constituted a majority of the outstanding shares of Trimeris. In connection with the Reverse Merger, Trimeris changed its name to Synageva BioPharma Corp. The Reverse Merger has been accounted for as a reverse acquisition under which Private Synageva was considered the acquirer of Trimeris. As such, the financial statements of Private Synageva are treated as the historical financial statements of the combined company, with the results of Trimeris being included from November 2, 2011. As a result of the Reverse Merger, historical common stock amounts and additional paid in capital have been retroactively adjusted.
Asset Acquisition	*Asset Acquisition* In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company purchased certain assets, including IP rights and property, plant and equipment, for $0.4 million. The purchase has been accounted for as an asset acquisition, and approximately $0.3 million of the purchase price was allocated to the acquired in-process research and development, which was expensed in the quarter.
Significant Accounting Policies	*Significant Accounting Policies* There have been no material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, as compared to the significant accounting policies disclosed in the Company’s financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2011.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	*Recent Accounting Pronouncements* In July 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2012-02, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment (ASU 2012-02). This newly issued accounting standard allows an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test for indefinite-lived intangibles other than goodwill. Under that option, an entity would no longer be required to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset unless the entity 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. This ASU is effective for annual and interim indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations. In May 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The new standard changes fair value measurement principles and disclosure requirements including measuring the fair value of financial instruments that are managed within a portfolio, the application of applying premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement, and additional disclosure about fair value measurements. The adoption of this guidance in the first quarter 2012 did not have a material effect on our financial statements. In June 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on the presentation of comprehensive income. The new standard eliminated the alternative to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. Under the new standard, companies can elect to present items of net income and other comprehensive income in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive statements. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance during the first quarter 2012. In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this update require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. Although we are still evaluating the impact of this standard, we do not expect its adoption to have a material impact on our financial position or results of our operations .
Principles of Consolidation	*Principles of Consolidation* Synageva’s Financial Statements include the accounts of Synageva and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Abbey BioPharma Corp., a Delaware corporation, and Synageva BioPharma Limited, an entity incorporated in the United Kingdom, which commenced operations in 1996 and May 2011, respectively. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Fair value measurement and disclosure requirements	In May 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The new standard changes fair value measurement principles and disclosure requirements including measuring the fair value of financial instruments that are managed within a portfolio, the application of applying premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement, and additional disclosure about fair value measurements. The adoption of this guidance in the first quarter 2012 did not have a material effect on our financial statements.
Presentation of comprehensive income	In June 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on the presentation of comprehensive income. The new standard eliminated the alternative to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. Under the new standard, companies can elect to present items of net income and other comprehensive income in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive statements. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance during the first quarter 2012.
Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities	In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this update require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. Although we are still evaluating the impact of this standard, we do not expect its adoption to have a material impact on our financial position or results of our operations

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Financial Statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and do not include all of the information and note disclosures required by the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. The Financial Statements should therefore be read in conjunction with the Financial Statements and Notes thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 24, 2012.

The accompanying Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the Financial Statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on management’s knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results may be different from those estimates. The Financial Statements reflect all adjustments of a normal, recurring nature that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of results for these interim periods. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012.

Asset Acquisition

Asset Acquisition

In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company purchased certain assets, including IP rights and property, plant and equipment, for $0.4 million. The purchase has been accounted for as an asset acquisition, and approximately $0.3 million of the purchase price was allocated to the acquired in-process research and development, which was expensed in the quarter.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU No. 2012-02, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment (ASU 2012-02). This newly issued accounting standard allows an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test for indefinite-lived intangibles other than goodwill. Under that option, an entity would no longer be required to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset unless the entity 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. This ASU is effective for annual and interim indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

In May 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The new standard changes fair value measurement principles and disclosure requirements including measuring the fair value of financial instruments that are managed within a portfolio, the application of applying premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement, and additional disclosure about fair value measurements. The adoption of this guidance in the first quarter 2012 did not have a material effect on our financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on the presentation of comprehensive income. The new standard eliminated the alternative to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. Under the new standard, companies can elect to present items of net income and other comprehensive income in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive statements. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance during the first quarter 2012.

In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this update require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. Although we are still evaluating the impact of this standard, we do not expect its adoption to have a material impact on our financial position or results of our operations .

Fair value measurement and disclosure requirements

In May 2011, the FASB issued a new standard on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The new standard changes fair value measurement principles and disclosure requirements including measuring the fair value of financial instruments that are managed within a portfolio, the application of applying premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement, and additional disclosure about fair value measurements. The adoption of this guidance in the first quarter 2012 did not have a material effect on our financial statements.

Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

In December 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2011-11, Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this update require an entity to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on its financial position. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. Although we are still evaluating the impact of this standard, we do not expect its adoption to have a material impact on our financial position or results of our operations