Organization	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
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 medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) are Andexxa® [coagulation factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo], the first and only antidote for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban, when reversal of anticoagulation is needed due to life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding, and Bevyxxa® (betrixaban), the first and only oral, once-daily Factor Xa inhibitor, for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (“VTE”) in adult patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness. We received approval for Andexxa and Bevyxxa in May 2018 and June 2017, respectively. We are also advancing cerdulatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase, or Syk, and Janus kinases, or JAK, inhibitor in development to treat hematologic cancers. We have a partnered program, which is focused on developing selective Syk inhibitors for inflammatory conditions. We refer to our two approved drugs in this report as Andexxa and Bevyxxa. If approved outside of the United States, each drug may be marketed under different brand names. In addition, an international nonproprietary name (“INN”) has been designated for each drug. Our previous INN for Andexxa was andexanet alfa; however, in the United States this INN has been replaced with “coagulation factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo.” For the European Union (“EU”) and other parts of the world, andexanet alfa could remain the INN for Andexxa. Our use of Andexxa or Bevyxxa in this document in the context of continued development activities for which we have not yet received regulatory approval should not be read to imply that we have received regulatory approval for any indication or in any jurisdiction not reflected in our product labels.

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 medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) are Andexxa® [coagulation factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo], the first and only antidote for patients treated with rivaroxaban and apixaban, when reversal of anticoagulation is needed due to life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding, and Bevyxxa® (betrixaban), the first and only oral, once-daily Factor Xa inhibitor, for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (“VTE”) in adult patients hospitalized for an acute medical illness. We received approval for Andexxa and Bevyxxa in May 2018 and June 2017, respectively. We are also advancing cerdulatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase, or Syk, and Janus kinases, or JAK, inhibitor in development to treat hematologic cancers. We have a partnered program, which is focused on developing selective Syk inhibitors for inflammatory conditions.

We refer to our two approved drugs in this report as Andexxa and Bevyxxa. If approved outside of the United States, each drug may be marketed under different brand names. In addition, an international nonproprietary name (“INN”) has been designated for each drug. Our previous INN for Andexxa was andexanet alfa; however, in the United States this INN has been replaced with “coagulation factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo.” For the European Union (“EU”) and other parts of the world, andexanet alfa could remain the INN for Andexxa. Our use of Andexxa or Bevyxxa in this document in the context of continued development activities for which we have not yet received regulatory approval should not be read to imply that we have received regulatory approval for any indication or in any jurisdiction not reflected in our product labels.