The Company	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
The Company	The Company Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Aerie”), with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Aerie Pharmaceuticals Limited and Aerie Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited (“Aerie Limited” and “Aerie Ireland Limited”, respectively, together with Aerie, the “Company”), is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule products to treat patients with glaucoma and other diseases of the eye. The Company has its principal executive offices in Irvine, California and operates as one business segment. The Company has not yet commenced commercial operations and therefore has not generated product revenue. The Company’s activities since inception have primarily consisted of developing product candidates, raising capital and performing research and development activities. The Company does not expect to generate revenue until and unless it receives regulatory approval of and successfully commercializes its product candidates. The Company has incurred losses and experienced negative operating cash flows since inception. The Company has funded its operations primarily through the sale of equity securities and issuance of convertible notes. In October 2013, the Company completed its initial public offering (“IPO”) and issued 7,728,000 shares of its common stock at an IPO price of $10.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds from the IPO of approximately $68.3 million. On September 30, 2014, the Company issued $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured convertible notes (the “2014 Convertible Notes”), of which the Company received net proceeds of approximately $122.9 million. Refer to Note 7 for further information regarding the 2014 Convertible Notes. On November 3, 2014, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that permits: (i) the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $150.0 million of the Company’s common stock; (ii) sales of common stock by certain selling stockholders; and (iii) the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock that may be issued and sold under an “at-the-market” sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. The common stock that was offered, issued and sold by the Company under this “at-the-market” sales agreement was included in the $150.0 million of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold by the Company under the shelf registration statement, and the availability under this “at-the-market” sales agreement was fully utilized in 2015. In addition, on November 6, 2015, the Company filed a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus dated November 10, 2014. The prospectus supplement permits the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock that may be issued and sold by the Company under separate “at-the-market” sales agreements with RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. The common stock that may be offered, issued and sold by the Company under these “at-the-market” sales agreements is included in the $150.0 million of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold by the Company under the shelf registration statement. The Company issued and sold a total of 111,403 shares of its common stock under these “at-the-market” sales agreements and received net proceeds of approximately $2.0 million, after deducting commissions at a rate of up to 3% of the gross sales price per share sold and other fees and expenses, during the three and six months ended June 30, 2016. Since November 10, 2014 through June 30, 2016, the Company has issued and sold a total of 1,865,959 shares of its common stock under the “at-the-market” sales agreements and received net proceeds of approximately $52.5 million, after deducting commissions at a rate of up to 3% of the gross sales price per share sold and other fees and expenses. As of June 30, 2016, $46.1 million remained available for issuance under the current “at-the-market” sales agreements. In March 2015, the Company revised its corporate structure to align with its business strategy outside of North America by establishing Aerie Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. In addition, Aerie assigned the beneficial rights to its non-U.S. and non-Canadian intellectual property to Aerie Limited (the “IP Assignment”). As part of the IP Assignment, Aerie and Aerie Limited entered into a research and development cost sharing agreement pursuant to which Aerie and Aerie Limited will share the costs of the development of intellectual property. Additionally, in April 2015, the Company continued to prepare for internationally-based activities and established Aerie Ireland Limited as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aerie Limited to develop and commercialize the beneficial rights of the intellectual property assigned as part of the IP Assignment pursuant to a license arrangement entered into between Aerie Limited and Aerie Ireland Limited. If the Company does not successfully commercialize any of its product candidates, it may be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability. Accordingly, the Company may be required to obtain further funding through other public or private offerings, debt financing, collaboration and licensing arrangements 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 attractive terms, it may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate its research and development programs or commercialization efforts.

The Company

Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Aerie”), with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Aerie Pharmaceuticals Limited and Aerie Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited (“Aerie Limited” and “Aerie Ireland Limited”, respectively, together with Aerie, the “Company”), is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule products to treat patients with glaucoma and other diseases of the eye. The Company has its principal executive offices in Irvine, California and operates as one business segment.

The Company has not yet commenced commercial operations and therefore has not generated product revenue. The Company’s activities since inception have primarily consisted of developing product candidates, raising capital and performing research and development activities. The Company does not expect to generate revenue until and unless it receives regulatory approval of and successfully commercializes its product candidates. The Company has incurred losses and experienced negative operating cash flows since inception.

The Company has funded its operations primarily through the sale of equity securities and issuance of convertible notes. In October 2013, the Company completed its initial public offering (“IPO”) and issued 7,728,000 shares of its common stock at an IPO price of $10.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds from the IPO of approximately $68.3 million. On September 30, 2014, the Company issued $125.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured convertible notes (the “2014 Convertible Notes”), of which the Company received net proceeds of approximately $122.9 million. Refer to Note 7 for further information regarding the 2014 Convertible Notes.

On November 3, 2014, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that permits: (i) the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $150.0 million of the Company’s common stock; (ii) sales of common stock by certain selling stockholders; and (iii) the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock that may be issued and sold under an “at-the-market” sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. The common stock that was offered, issued and sold by the Company under this “at-the-market” sales agreement was included in the $150.0 million of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold by the Company under the shelf registration statement, and the availability under this “at-the-market” sales agreement was fully utilized in 2015.

In addition, on November 6, 2015, the Company filed a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus dated November 10, 2014. The prospectus supplement permits the offering, issuance and sale by the Company of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock that may be issued and sold by the Company under separate “at-the-market” sales agreements with RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. The common stock that may be offered, issued and sold by the Company under these “at-the-market” sales agreements is included in the $150.0 million of common stock that may be offered, issued and sold by the Company under the shelf registration statement.

The Company issued and sold a total of 111,403 shares of its common stock under these “at-the-market” sales agreements and received net proceeds of approximately $2.0 million, after deducting commissions at a rate of up to 3% of the gross sales price per share sold and other fees and expenses, during the three and six months ended June 30, 2016. Since November 10, 2014 through June 30, 2016, the Company has issued and sold a total of 1,865,959 shares of its common stock under the “at-the-market” sales agreements and received net proceeds of approximately $52.5 million, after deducting commissions at a rate of up to 3% of the gross sales price per share sold and other fees and expenses. As of June 30, 2016, $46.1 million remained available for issuance under the current “at-the-market” sales agreements.

In March 2015, the Company revised its corporate structure to align with its business strategy outside of North America by establishing Aerie Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. In addition, Aerie assigned the beneficial rights to its non-U.S. and non-Canadian intellectual property to Aerie Limited (the “IP Assignment”). As part of the IP Assignment, Aerie and Aerie Limited entered into a research and development cost sharing agreement pursuant to which Aerie and Aerie Limited will share the costs of the development of intellectual property. Additionally, in April 2015, the Company continued to prepare for internationally-based activities and established Aerie Ireland Limited as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aerie Limited to develop and commercialize the beneficial rights of the intellectual property assigned as part of the IP Assignment pursuant to a license arrangement entered into between Aerie Limited and Aerie Ireland Limited.

If the Company does not successfully commercialize any of its product candidates, it may be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability. Accordingly, the Company may be required to obtain further funding through other public or private offerings, debt financing, collaboration and licensing arrangements 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 attractive terms, it may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate its research and development programs or commercialization efforts.