Organization and Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Organization and Significant Accounting Policies	1. Organization and Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Neurocrine, we, our or us) is a neuroscience-focused, biopharmaceutical company with more than 25 years of experience discovering and developing life-changing treatments for people with serious, challenging and under-addressed neurological, endocrine, and psychiatric disorders. We specialize in targeting and interrupting disease-causing mechanisms involving the interconnected pathways of the nervous and endocrine systems. Our portfolio includes United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia (TD) and endometriosis and clinical development programs in multiple therapeutic areas including Parkinson’s disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and uterine fibroids. Our treatment for endometriosis and our product candidate for uterine fibroids are partnered with AbbVie, Inc. (AbbVie). In addition, in January 2019, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Voyager), focused on the development and commercialization of four programs using Voyager’s propriety gene therapy platform, including one clinical development program for advanced Parkinson’s disease patients, VY-AADC. Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments necessary, which are of a normal and recurring nature, for the fair presentation of our financial position and of the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Neurocrine and our wholly owned subsidiaries. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2018, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (2018 Form 10-K) filed with the SEC. The results of operations for the interim period shown in this report are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the full year. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2018, has been derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. There were no significant changes to our significant accounting policies as disclosed in the 2018 Form 10-K. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. ASU 2016-02. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)”, which requires lessees to recognize leases on the balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with a term longer than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 also requires disclosures to meet the objective of enabling users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2016-02 using the modified retrospective transition method. Under this transition method, we recognized and measured leases that existed at the application date in our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019. Arrangements that are determined to be operating leases at inception are included in operating lease assets, noncurrent operating lease liabilities, and other current liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As none of our operating leases provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The operating lease ROU asset is adjusted for any prepaid or accrued lease payments and any lease incentives received. Operating lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which we have elected to account for as a single lease component. Further, we have elected to recognize our short-term lease payments in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the associated lease term and variable lease payments in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. Short-term and variable lease payments were not material in the first quarter of 2019. In connection with the adoption of ASU 2016-02, we elected the package of practical expedients requiring no reassessment of whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, the lease classification of any expired or existing leases, or initial direct costs for any existing leases. We also made accounting policy elections not to apply the recognition requirements under ASU 2016-02 to any of our short-term leases and to account for each separate lease and associated nonlease components as a single lease component for all of our leases. In preparation for implementation of ASU 2016-02, we finalized key accounting assessments and updated processes to appropriately recognize and present the associated financial information. Based on these efforts, the adoption of ASU 2016-02 resulted in the recognition of (1) ROU assets of $50.0 million and operating lease liabilities of $70.9 million, resulting from leases of office and laboratory space; (2) the derecognition of deferred rent of $20.9 million for certain lease incentives received; and (3) a cumulative-effect adjustment of $8.0 million to the opening balance of the accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2019, resulting from the recognition of an existing deferred gain on sale of real estate. The comparative prior period information continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect during those periods. Further, we expect the adoption of ASU 2016-02 to be immaterial to our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and statements of cash flows on an ongoing basis. ASU 2018-07. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting”, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees and applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2018-07 using the modified retrospective transition method with no impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. Further, we expect the adoption of ASU 2018-07 to be immaterial to our condensed consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations and comprehensive loss, and statements of cash flows on an ongoing basis.

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies

1. Organization and Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Neurocrine, we, our or us) is a neuroscience-focused, biopharmaceutical company with more than 25 years of experience discovering and developing life-changing treatments for people with serious, challenging and under-addressed neurological, endocrine, and psychiatric disorders. We specialize in targeting and interrupting disease-causing mechanisms involving the interconnected pathways of the nervous and endocrine systems.

Our portfolio includes United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia (TD) and endometriosis and clinical development programs in multiple therapeutic areas including Parkinson’s disease, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and uterine fibroids. Our treatment for endometriosis and our product candidate for uterine fibroids are partnered with AbbVie, Inc. (AbbVie). In addition, in January 2019, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Voyager), focused on the development and commercialization of four programs using Voyager’s propriety gene therapy platform, including one clinical development program for advanced Parkinson’s disease patients, VY-AADC.

Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments necessary, which are of a normal and recurring nature, for the fair presentation of our financial position and of the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Neurocrine and our wholly owned subsidiaries.

These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2018, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (2018 Form 10-K) filed with the SEC. The results of operations for the interim period shown in this report are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the full year. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2018, has been derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.

There were no significant changes to our significant accounting policies as disclosed in the 2018 Form 10-K.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements.

ASU 2016-02. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)”, which requires lessees to recognize leases on the balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with a term longer than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 also requires disclosures to meet the objective of enabling users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2016-02 using the modified retrospective transition method. Under this transition method, we recognized and measured leases that existed at the application date in our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2019.

Arrangements that are determined to be operating leases at inception are included in operating lease assets, noncurrent operating lease liabilities, and other current liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As none of our operating leases provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The operating lease ROU asset is adjusted for any prepaid or accrued lease payments and any lease incentives received. Operating lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which we have elected to account for as a single lease component. Further, we have elected to recognize our short-term lease payments in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the associated lease term and variable lease payments in the period in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. Short-term and variable lease payments were not material in the first quarter of 2019.

In connection with the adoption of ASU 2016-02, we elected the package of practical expedients requiring no reassessment of whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, the lease classification of any expired or existing leases, or initial direct costs for any existing leases. We also made accounting policy elections not to apply the recognition requirements under ASU 2016-02 to any of our short-term leases and to account for each separate lease and associated nonlease components as a single lease component for all of our leases.

In preparation for implementation of ASU 2016-02, we finalized key accounting assessments and updated processes to appropriately recognize and present the associated financial information. Based on these efforts, the adoption of ASU 2016-02 resulted in the recognition of (1) ROU assets of $50.0 million and operating lease liabilities of $70.9 million, resulting from leases of office and laboratory space; (2) the derecognition of deferred rent of $20.9 million for certain lease incentives received; and (3) a cumulative-effect adjustment of $8.0 million to the opening balance of the accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2019, resulting from the recognition of an existing deferred gain on sale of real estate. The comparative prior period information continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect during those periods. Further, we expect the adoption of ASU 2016-02 to be immaterial to our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and statements of cash flows on an ongoing basis.

ASU 2018-07. In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting”, which expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees and applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU 2018-07 using the modified retrospective transition method with no impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. Further, we expect the adoption of ASU 2018-07 to be immaterial to our condensed consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations and comprehensive loss, and statements of cash flows on an ongoing basis.