Organization and Operations	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Operations	(1) Organization and Operations Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that was incorporated in Delaware on July 7, 2006 and has a principal place of business in Watertown, Massachusetts. The Company is using its proprietary chemistry technology to create novel antibiotics for serious and life-threatening multidrug-resistant infections. The Company is developing its lead product candidate eravacycline, a fully synthetic tetracycline derivative, as a broad-spectrum intravenous (“IV”) and oral antibiotic for use as a first-line empiric monotherapy for the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections. The Company conducted a global phase 3 clinical program for eravacycline called IGNITE (Investigating Gram-Negative Infections Treated with Eravacycline) consisting of two phase 3 clinical trials: IGNITE1, its phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of eravacycline with IV administration for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (“cIAI”), and IGNITE2, the Company’s second phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of eravacycline for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (“cUTI”), with IV-to-oral transition therapy. The Company is also pursuing the discovery and development of additional antibiotics that target unmet medical needs, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In December 2014, the Company announced that in IGNITE 1 eravacycline met the primary endpoint of statistical non-inferiority compared to ertapenem, the control therapy for the trial, for the treatment of cIAI. In September 2015, the Company announced that eravacycline did not meet the primary endpoint of statistical non-inferiority in IGNITE 2 compared to levofloxacin, the control therapy for this trial. Consistent with guidance issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) with respect to the development of antibiotics for cIAI and the Company’s previous discussions with the FDA, the Company had planned to utilize results from these two phase 3 clinical trials to support submission of a new drug application (“NDA”) for eravacycline for the treatment of cIAI and cUTI. Since the announcement of the IGNITE2 data, the Company has had and continues to have discussions with the FDA regarding the results of these phase 3 clinical trials and the impact on its ability to file an NDA for eravacycline for the treatment of cIAI and cUTI. The Company is also evaluating the timing of a regulatory submission for eravacycline to the European Medicines Agency. Notwithstanding the outcome of the Company’s ongoing discussions with the FDA, the Company intends to initiate a new phase 3 clinical trial of the IV formulation of eravacycline for the treatment of cUTI in the third quarter of 2016. The Company has submitted the protocol for this trial to the FDA for review. The Company is devoting substantially all of its efforts to product research and development, and market development. The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to those of other life science companies in a similar stage of development, including rapid technological change, dependence on key individuals, competition from other companies, compliance with government regulations, protection of proprietary technology, dependence on third parties, product liability, the need for development of commercially viable products, regulatory approval of products, uncertainty of market acceptance of products, and the need to obtain additional financing to fund the development of its product candidates. The Company has not completed development of any product candidate and has devoted substantially all of its financial resources and efforts to research and development, including preclinical and clinical development. The Company expects to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years, and expects to require additional financial resources to advance its product candidates. The Company has incurred annual net operating losses in every year since its inception. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had incurred losses since inception of $286.4 million. The Company has not generated any product revenues and has financed its operations primarily through public offerings and private placements of its equity securities, debt financings and funding from the United States government. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to generate product revenue in its anticipated amounts, on a timely basis or at all, or obtain additional debt or equity financing, or generate revenues from collaborative partners on terms acceptable to the Company, on a timely basis or at all. The failure of the Company to generate revenues or obtain sufficient funds on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

(1) Organization and Operations

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that was incorporated in Delaware on July 7, 2006 and has a principal place of business in Watertown, Massachusetts. The Company is using its proprietary chemistry technology to create novel antibiotics for serious and life-threatening multidrug-resistant infections. The Company is developing its lead product candidate eravacycline, a fully synthetic tetracycline derivative, as a broad-spectrum intravenous (“IV”) and oral antibiotic for use as a first-line empiric monotherapy for the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections. The Company conducted a global phase 3 clinical program for eravacycline called IGNITE (Investigating Gram-Negative Infections Treated with Eravacycline) consisting of two phase 3 clinical trials: IGNITE1, its phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of eravacycline with IV administration for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (“cIAI”), and IGNITE2, the Company’s second phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of eravacycline for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (“cUTI”), with IV-to-oral transition therapy. The Company is also pursuing the discovery and development of additional antibiotics that target unmet medical needs, including multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

In December 2014, the Company announced that in IGNITE 1 eravacycline met the primary endpoint of statistical non-inferiority compared to ertapenem, the control therapy for the trial, for the treatment of cIAI. In September 2015, the Company announced that eravacycline did not meet the primary endpoint of statistical non-inferiority in IGNITE 2 compared to levofloxacin, the control therapy for this trial. Consistent with guidance issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) with respect to the development of antibiotics for cIAI and the Company’s previous discussions with the FDA, the Company had planned to utilize results from these two phase 3 clinical trials to support submission of a new drug application (“NDA”) for eravacycline for the treatment of cIAI and cUTI. Since the announcement of the IGNITE2 data, the Company has had and continues to have discussions with the FDA regarding the results of these phase 3 clinical trials and the impact on its ability to file an NDA for eravacycline for the treatment of cIAI and cUTI. The Company is also evaluating the timing of a regulatory submission for eravacycline to the European Medicines Agency. Notwithstanding the outcome of the Company’s ongoing discussions with the FDA, the Company intends to initiate a new phase 3 clinical trial of the IV formulation of eravacycline for the treatment of cUTI in the third quarter of 2016. The Company has submitted the protocol for this trial to the FDA for review.

The Company is devoting substantially all of its efforts to product research and development, and market development. The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to those of other life science companies in a similar stage of development, including rapid technological change, dependence on key individuals, competition from other companies, compliance with government regulations, protection of proprietary technology, dependence on third parties, product liability, the need for development of commercially viable products, regulatory approval of products, uncertainty of market acceptance of products, and the need to obtain additional financing to fund the development of its product candidates. The Company has not completed development of any product candidate and has devoted substantially all of its financial resources and efforts to research and development, including preclinical and clinical development. The Company expects to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years, and expects to require additional financial resources to advance its product candidates.

The Company has incurred annual net operating losses in every year since its inception. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had incurred losses since inception of $286.4 million. The Company has not generated any product revenues and has financed its operations primarily through public offerings and private placements of its equity securities, debt financings and funding from the United States government.

There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to generate product revenue in its anticipated amounts, on a timely basis or at all, or obtain additional debt or equity financing, or generate revenues from collaborative partners on terms acceptable to the Company, on a timely basis or at all. The failure of the Company to generate revenues or obtain sufficient funds on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.