Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation	85 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2010
Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation	1. Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. (“ZIOPHARM” or the “Company”) is a biopharmaceutical company that seeks to acquire, develop and commercialize, on its own or with other commercial partners, products for the treatment of important unmet medical needs in cancer. The Company has had limited operations to date and its activities have consisted primarily of raising capital and conducting research and development. Accordingly, the Company is considered to be in the development stage at September 30, 2010. The Company's fiscal year ends on December 31. The Company has operated at a loss since its inception in 2003 and has no revenues. The Company anticipates that losses will continue for the foreseeable future. At September 30, 2010, the Company’s accumulated deficit was approximately $112.0 million. The Company currently believes that it has sufficient capital to fund development and commercialization activities, principally for palifosfamide, well into mid-2012. The Company’s ability to continue operations after its current cash resources are exhausted depends on its ability to obtain additional financing and achieve profitable operations, as to which no assurances can be given. Cash requirements may vary materially from those now planned because of changes in the Company’s focus and direction of its research and development programs, competitive and technical advances, patent developments, regulatory changes or other developments. Additional financing will be required to continue operations after the Company exhausts its current cash resources and to continue its long-term plans for clinical trials and new product development. There can be no assurance that any such financing can be realized by the Company, or if realized, what the terms thereof may be, or that any amount that the Company is able to raise will be adequate to support the Company’s working capital requirements until it achieves profitable operations. The Company’s failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on its financial condition and its ability to pursue its business strategies. If adequate additional funds are not available when required, or if unsuccessful in entering into partnership agreements for the further development of its products, the Company will be required to delay, reduce or eliminate planned preclinical and clinical trials and terminate the approval process for its product candidates from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other regulatory authorities. In addition, the Company could be forced to discontinue product development, reduce or forego sales and marketing efforts, forego attractive business opportunities, pursue merger or divestiture strategies, cease operations or declare bankruptcy. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and note disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities at the dates of the financial statements. Actual amounts may differ from these estimates. It is management’s opinion that the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements reflect all adjustments (which are normal and recurring) that are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods. The unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2009 included in the Company’s Form 10-K for such fiscal year. The year-end balance sheet data was derived from the audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The results disclosed in the Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year.

1. Nature of the Business and Basis of Presentation

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. (“ZIOPHARM” or the “Company”) is a biopharmaceutical company that seeks to acquire, develop and commercialize, on its own or with other commercial partners, products for the treatment of important unmet medical needs in cancer.

The Company has had limited operations to date and its activities have consisted primarily of raising capital and conducting research and development. Accordingly, the Company is considered to be in the development stage at September 30, 2010. The Company's fiscal year ends on December 31.

The Company has operated at a loss since its inception in 2003 and has no revenues. The Company anticipates that losses will continue for the foreseeable future. At September 30, 2010, the Company’s accumulated deficit was approximately $112.0 million. The Company currently believes that it has sufficient capital to fund development and commercialization activities, principally for palifosfamide, well into mid-2012. The Company’s ability to continue operations after its current cash resources are exhausted depends on its ability to obtain additional financing and achieve profitable operations, as to which no assurances can be given. Cash requirements may vary materially from those now planned because of changes in the Company’s focus and direction of its research and development programs, competitive and technical advances, patent developments, regulatory changes or other developments. Additional financing will be required to continue operations after the Company exhausts its current cash resources and to continue its long-term plans for clinical trials and new product development. There can be no assurance that any such financing can be realized by the Company, or if realized, what the terms thereof may be, or that any amount that the Company is able to raise will be adequate to support the Company’s working capital requirements until it achieves profitable operations. The Company’s failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on its financial condition and its ability to pursue its business strategies. If adequate additional funds are not available when required, or if unsuccessful in entering into partnership agreements for the further development of its products, the Company will be required to delay, reduce or eliminate planned preclinical and clinical trials and terminate the approval process for its product candidates from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) or other regulatory authorities. In addition, the Company could be forced to discontinue product development, reduce or forego sales and marketing efforts, forego attractive business opportunities, pursue merger or divestiture strategies, cease operations or declare bankruptcy. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and note disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent liabilities at the dates of the financial statements. Actual amounts may differ from these estimates.

It is management’s opinion that the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements reflect all adjustments (which are normal and recurring) that are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods. The unaudited interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2009 included in the Company’s Form 10-K for such fiscal year.

The year-end balance sheet data was derived from the audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The results disclosed in the Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year.