Organization	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization	1. Organization Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company” or “we” or “our” or “us”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics in the areas of thrombosis, other hematologic diseases and inflammation for patients who currently have limited or no approved treatment options. We were incorporated in September 2003 in Delaware. Our headquarters and operations are located in South San Francisco, California and we operate in one segment. Our two lead programs address significant unmet medical needs in the area of thrombosis, or blood clots. Our lead compound, Betrixaban, is a novel oral once-daily inhibitor of Factor Xa in Phase 3 development for extended duration prophylaxis, or preventive treatment, of a form of thrombosis known as venous thromboembolism, in acute medically ill patients for up to 35 days of in-hospital and post-discharge use. Our second lead development candidate, Andexanet alfa, an FDA-designated breakthrough therapy, is a recombinant protein designed to reverse the anticoagulant activity in patients treated with a Factor Xa inhibitor who are suffering a major bleeding episode or who require emergency surgery. Our third product candidate Cerdulatinib, formerly PRT2070, is an orally available kinase inhibitor that inhibits spleen tyrosine kinase, or Syk, and janus kinases, or JAK, enzymes that regulate important signaling pathways and is being developed for hematologic, or blood, cancers and inflammatory disorders. Our fourth program of highly selective Syk inhibitors is partnered with Biogen Idec, Inc.

1. Organization

Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company” or “we” or “our” or “us”) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics in the areas of thrombosis, other hematologic diseases and inflammation for patients who currently have limited or no approved treatment options. We were incorporated in September 2003 in Delaware. Our headquarters and operations are located in South San Francisco, California and we operate in one segment.

Our two lead programs address significant unmet medical needs in the area of thrombosis, or blood clots. Our lead compound, Betrixaban, is a novel oral once-daily inhibitor of Factor Xa in Phase 3 development for extended duration prophylaxis, or preventive treatment, of a form of thrombosis known as venous thromboembolism, in acute medically ill patients for up to 35 days of in-hospital and post-discharge use. Our second lead development candidate, Andexanet alfa, an FDA-designated breakthrough therapy, is a recombinant protein designed to reverse the anticoagulant activity in patients treated with a Factor Xa inhibitor who are suffering a major bleeding episode or who require emergency surgery. Our third product candidate Cerdulatinib, formerly PRT2070, is an orally available kinase inhibitor that inhibits spleen tyrosine kinase, or Syk, and janus kinases, or JAK, enzymes that regulate important signaling pathways and is being developed for hematologic, or blood, cancers and inflammatory disorders. Our fourth program of highly selective Syk inhibitors is partnered with Biogen Idec, Inc.