The Company	12 Months Ended
The Company	Dec. 31, 2021
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
The Company	The Company Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Aerie”), with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Aerie Distribution, Inc., Aerie Pharmaceuticals Limited, Aerie Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited and Avizorex Pharma S.L. (“Aerie Distribution,” “Aerie Limited,” “Aerie Ireland Limited” and “Avizorex,” respectively, together with Aerie, the “Company”), is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class ophthalmic therapies for the treatment of patients with eye diseases and conditions including open-angle glaucoma, dry eye, diabetic macular edema (“DME”) and wet age-related macular degeneration (“AMD”). The Company has its principal executive offices in Durham, North Carolina, and operates as one business segment. U.S. Commercialization of the Glaucoma Franchise The Company has developed and commercialized two U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved products, Rhopressa® (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) 0.02% (“Rhopressa®”) and Rocklatan® (netarsudil/latanoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.02%/0.005% (“Rocklatan®”), which are sold in the United States and comprise its glaucoma franchise. Rhopressa® is a once-daily eye drop designed to reduce elevated intraocular pressure (“IOP”) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Rocklatan® is a once-daily fixed-dose combination of Rhopressa® and latanoprost, a commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The Company is commercializing Rhopressa®, which was launched in the United States in April 2018, and Rocklatan®, which was launched in the United States in May 2019. Efforts Outside the United States In addition to actively promoting Rhopressa® and Rocklatan® in the United States, the Company is also developing business opportunities outside of the United States and has made progress in its efforts to commercialize Rhopressa® and Rocklatan® in Europe, Japan and other regions of the world. The Company partnered and has collaboration agreements in place with Santen Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (“Santen Pharmaceuticals”) and Santen SA (“Santen SA” and, together with Santen Pharmaceuticals, “Santen”) to develop and commercialize its products in Japan and South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan (collectively, “East Asia”), as well as Europe, China, India, the Middle East, Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”), Africa, parts of Latin America and the Oceania countries. The initial Collaboration and License Agreement with Santen was executed in October 2020 (the “First Santen Agreement”) to advance the Company’s clinical development and ultimately commercialize Rhopressa® and Rocklatan® in Japan and East Asia. The second Collaboration and License Agreement with Santen (the “Second Santen Agreement” and, together with the First Santen Agreement, “Santen Agreements”) was executed in December 2021 to develop and commercialize Rhopressa® and Rocklatan® in Europe, China, India, the Middle East, CIS, Africa, parts of Latin America and the Oceania countries. See Note 3 for additional information. In Europe, Rhopressa® and Rocklatan® will be marketed under the names Rhokiinsa® and Roclanda®, respectively. Rhokiinsa® and Roclanda® were granted a Centralised Marketing Authorisation (“Centralised MA”) by the European Commission (“EC”) in November 2019 and January 2021, respectively. In April 2021, Roclanda® received marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) in Great Britain. In Japan, in October 2021, the Company reported positive topline results for its Phase 3 clinical trial of netarsudil ophthalmic solution 0.02%, the first of three expected Phase 3 clinical trials in Japan. A second, confirmatory Phase 3 study, required for approval in Japan, is underway. Santen is taking the lead on next steps in preparation for registration in Japan. Clinical trials for Rocklatan® in Japan have not yet begun. Glaucoma Product Manufacturing The Company has a sterile fill production facility in Athlone, Ireland, for the production of its FDA approved products and clinical supplies, which was completed in the second quarter of 2019. The Company received FDA approval to produce Rocklatan® and Rhopressa® at the Athlone manufacturing plant for commercial distribution in the United States in January 2020 and September 2020, respectively. The Athlone manufacturing plant began manufacturing commercial supplies of Rocklatan® in the first quarter of 2020 and Rhopressa® in the third quarter of 2020 for distribution to the United States. Shipments of commercial supply of Rocklatan® and Rhopressa® from the Athlone manufacturing plant to the United States commenced in the second half of 2020. In addition, the Athlone manufacturing plant has manufactured clinical supplies of Rhopressa® for the Phase 3 clinical trials in Japan as well as registration batches to support product approval in Japan. Product Candidates and Pipeline The Company is furthering the development of its product candidates focused on dry eye and retinal diseases, as described below. Dry Eye Program The Company is developing AR-15512 ophthalmic solution for the treatment of patients with dry eye disease. The active ingredient in AR-15512 is a potent and selective agonist of the TRPM8 ion channel, a cold sensor and osmolarity sensor that regulates tear production and blink rate. In addition, activating the TRPM8 receptor may reduce ocular discomfort by promoting a cooling sensation. In September 2021, the Company reported topline results of its Phase 2b clinical study, named COMET-1, for AR-15512. The Company completed a dose ranging study evaluating two concentrations of AR-15512 (0.0014% and 0.003%) in a 90-day trial with 369 subjects. The COMET-1 clinical study achieved statistical significance for multiple pre-specified and validated signs and symptoms. The greatest efficacy was demonstrated with the higher concentration 0.003% formulation, which the Company plans to advance to Phase 3 studies. The study did not achieve statistical significance at the pre-determined primary endpoints at Day 28. Retina Program The Company is currently developing two sustained-release implants focused on retinal diseases, AR-1105 and AR-14034 SR. For AR-1105, a dexamethasone steroid implant, the Company completed a large Phase 2 clinical trial for patients with macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion (“RVO”) in July 2020 and reported topline results indicating sustained efficacy of up to six months. The preclinical sustained-release implant AR-14034 SR is being designed to deliver the active ingredient axitinib, a potent small molecule pan-vascular endothelial growth factor (“VEGF”) receptor inhibitor. AR-14034 SR has the potential to provide a duration of effect of approximately one year with a once per-year injection. It may potentially be used to treat DME, wet AMD and related diseases of the retina. Liquidity The Company commenced generating product revenues related to the sales in the United States of Rhopressa® in the second quarter of 2018 and Rocklatan® in the second quarter of 2019. The Company’s activities prior to the commercial launch of Rhopressa® had primarily consisted of developing product candidates, raising capital and performing research and development activities. The Company has incurred losses and experienced negative operating cash flows since inception. The Company had previously funded its operations primarily through the sale of equity securities and issuance of convertible notes prior to generating product revenues. In September 2019, the Company issued an aggregate principal amount of $316.25 million of 1.50% convertible senior notes due 2024 (the “Convertible Notes”). See Note 10 for additional information. Further, the Company entered into the First Santen Agreement and Second Santen Agreement in October 2020 and December 2021, respectively, pursuant to which Santen made upfront payments of $50 million and $88 million, respectively. In December 2021, the Company also earned a $2 million supplemental upfront payment associated with the Second Santen Agreement. The upfront payments associated with the Second Santen Agreement were received in January 2022. See Note 3 for additional information. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $139.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. The Company believes that its cash, cash equivalents and investments, and projected cash flows from revenues will provide sufficient resources to support its operations, including interest payments for its Convertible Notes, through at least the next twelve months from the date of this filing. The Company continues to evaluate collaboration and licensing opportunities related to its pipeline products. The Company expects to incur ongoing operating losses until such a time when Rhopressa® or Rocklatan® or any current or future product candidates, if approved, generate sufficient cash flows for the Company to achieve profitability. Accordingly, the Company may be required to obtain further funding through debt or equity offerings or other sources. Adequate additional funding may not be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all. If the Company is unable to raise capital when needed or on acceptable terms, it may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate its research and development programs or commercialization and manufacturing efforts.