Summary of significant accounting policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Summary of significant accounting policies [Abstract]
Summary of significant accounting policies	1. Summary of significant accounting policies Basis of presentation and consolidation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (the "Company" or "Emergent") and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The unaudited consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, as filed with the SEC. In the opinion of the Company's management, any adjustments contained in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are of a normal recurring nature, and are necessary to present fairly the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2013 and the results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for an entire year. There have been no significant changes to the Company's summary of significant accounting policies, contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, as filed with the SEC, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, except for the addition of the Company's policy for multiple element revenue-generating arrangements and its revenue recognition policy related to the Company's contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA") to establish a Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing ("CIADM") and the addition of a policy for contingent purchase consideration obligations. Revenue recognition The Company analyzes its multiple element revenue-generating arrangements to determine whether the elements can be separated and accounted for individually as separate units of accounting. An item can generally be considered a separate unit of accounting if both of the following criteria are met: the delivered item(s) has value to the customer on a stand-alone basis and if the arrangement includes a general right of return and delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s) is considered probable and substantially in the control of the Company. Items that cannot be divided into separate units are combined with other units of accounting, as appropriate. Consideration received is allocated among the separate units based on the unit's selling price and is recognized in full when the criteria are met. The Company deems services to be rendered if no continuing obligation exists on the part of the Company. The Company's contract with the BARDA to establish a CIADM is a service arrangement that includes multiple elements. The CIADM contract requires the Company to provide a flexible infrastructure to supply medical countermeasures to the U.S. government over the contract period and includes such items as construction and facility design, workforce development and licensure of a pandemic flu vaccine. Since none of the individual elements by themselves satisfy the purpose of the contract, the Company has concluded that the CIADM contract elements cannot be separated as they do not have stand-alone value to the U.S. government. Therefore, the Company has concluded that there is a single unit of accounting associated with the CIADM contract. The Company recognizes revenue under the CIADM contract on a straight-line basis, based upon its estimate of the total payments to be received under the contract. The Company analyzes the estimated payments to be received on a quarterly basis to determine if an adjustment to revenue is required. Changes in estimates attributed to modifications in the estimate of total payments to be received are recorded prospectively. Contingent purchase consideration obligations In accordance with the terms of the Company's August 2013 acquisition of the Healthcare Protective Products Division ("HPPD"), a division of Bracco Diagnostics Inc. ("Bracco"), the Company has committed to make potential payments to Bracco based on achievement of certain net sales thresholds of RSDL through 2028. The Company records this obligation at fair value. Contingent purchase consideration is based on a percentage of future net RSDL sales. The fair value model used to calculate this obligation is based on the income approach (a discounted cash flow model) that has been risk adjusted based on the probability of achievement of net sales. The inputs the Company uses for determining the fair value of the contingent purchase consideration are Level 3 fair value measurements. The Company re-evaluates the fair value on a quarterly basis. Changes in the fair value can result from adjustments to the discount rates and updates in the assumed timing of or achievement of net sales. Any future increase in the fair value of the contingent purchase consideration obligation is based on an increased likelihood that the underlying net sales will be achieved and the associated payment or payments which will therefore become due and payable, which will result in a charge to cost of product sales in the period in which the increase is determined. Similarly, any future decrease in the fair value of the contingent purchase consideration obligation will result in a reduction in cost of product sales.

1. Summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of presentation and consolidation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (the "Company" or "Emergent") and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The unaudited consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, as filed with the SEC.

In the opinion of the Company's management, any adjustments contained in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are of a normal recurring nature, and are necessary to present fairly the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2013 and the results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for an entire year.

There have been no significant changes to the Company's summary of significant accounting policies, contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, as filed with the SEC, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, except for the addition of the Company's policy for multiple element revenue-generating arrangements and its revenue recognition policy related to the Company's contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA") to establish a Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing ("CIADM") and the addition of a policy for contingent purchase consideration obligations.

Revenue recognition

The Company analyzes its multiple element revenue-generating arrangements to determine whether the elements can be separated and accounted for individually as separate units of accounting. An item can generally be considered a separate unit of accounting if both of the following criteria are met: the delivered item(s) has value to the customer on a stand-alone basis and if the arrangement includes a general right of return and delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s) is considered probable and substantially in the control of the Company. Items that cannot be divided into separate units are combined with other units of accounting, as appropriate. Consideration received is allocated among the separate units based on the unit's selling price and is recognized in full when the criteria are met. The Company deems services to be rendered if no continuing obligation exists on the part of the Company.

The Company's contract with the BARDA to establish a CIADM is a service arrangement that includes multiple elements. The CIADM contract requires the Company to provide a flexible infrastructure to supply medical countermeasures to the U.S. government over the contract period and includes such items as construction and facility design, workforce development and licensure of a pandemic flu vaccine. Since none of the individual elements by themselves satisfy the purpose of the contract, the Company has concluded that the CIADM contract elements cannot be separated as they do not have stand-alone value to the U.S. government. Therefore, the Company has concluded that there is a single unit of accounting associated with the CIADM contract. The Company recognizes revenue under the CIADM contract on a straight-line basis, based upon its estimate of the total payments to be received under the contract. The Company analyzes the estimated payments to be received on a quarterly basis to determine if an adjustment to revenue is required. Changes in estimates attributed to modifications in the estimate of total payments to be received are recorded prospectively.

Contingent purchase consideration obligations

In accordance with the terms of the Company's August 2013 acquisition of the Healthcare Protective Products Division ("HPPD"), a division of Bracco Diagnostics Inc. ("Bracco"), the Company has committed to make potential payments to Bracco based on achievement of certain net sales thresholds of RSDL through 2028. The Company records this obligation at fair value. Contingent purchase consideration is based on a percentage of future net RSDL sales. The fair value model used to calculate this obligation is based on the income approach (a discounted cash flow model) that has been risk adjusted based on the probability of achievement of net sales.

The inputs the Company uses for determining the fair value of the contingent purchase consideration are Level 3 fair value measurements. The Company re-evaluates the fair value on a quarterly basis. Changes in the fair value can result from adjustments to the discount rates and updates in the assumed timing of or achievement of net sales. Any future increase in the fair value of the contingent purchase consideration obligation is based on an increased likelihood that the underlying net sales will be achieved and the associated payment or payments which will therefore become due and payable, which will result in a charge to cost of product sales in the period in which the increase is determined. Similarly, any future decrease in the fair value of the contingent purchase consideration obligation will result in a reduction in cost of product sales.