Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Business	Business La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (collectively with its subsidiaries, the Company) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies intended to significantly improve outcomes in patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. GIAPREZA^TM (angiotensin II), formerly known as LJPC-501, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 21, 2017 as a vasoconstrictor to increase blood pressure in adults with septic or other distributive shock. LJPC-401 (synthetic human hepcidin), a clinical-stage investigational product, is being developed for the potential treatment of conditions characterized by iron overload, such as hereditary hemochromatosis, beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease and myelodysplastic syndrome. As of March 31, 2018, the Company had $154.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, compared to $90.9 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2017. On a pro-forma basis, adjusting for the net proceeds from the May 2018 royalty financing (see Note 5), the Company’s cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018 were $279 million. Based on the Company’s current operating plans and projections, management believes that available cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to fund operations for at least one year from the date this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Company was incorporated in 1989 as a Delaware corporation and reincorporated in California in 2012.

Business

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (collectively with its subsidiaries, the Company) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies intended to significantly improve outcomes in patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. GIAPREZA^TM (angiotensin II), formerly known as LJPC-501, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 21, 2017 as a vasoconstrictor to increase blood pressure in adults with septic or other distributive shock. LJPC-401 (synthetic human hepcidin), a clinical-stage investigational product, is being developed for the potential treatment of conditions characterized by iron overload, such as hereditary hemochromatosis, beta thalassemia, sickle cell disease and myelodysplastic syndrome.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company had $154.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, compared to $90.9 million in cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2017. On a pro-forma basis, adjusting for the net proceeds from the May 2018 royalty financing (see Note 5), the Company’s cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018 were $279 million. Based on the Company’s current operating plans and projections, management believes that available cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to fund operations for at least one year from the date this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Company was incorporated in 1989 as a Delaware corporation and reincorporated in California in 2012.