Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Aug. 05, 2015
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	AQXP
Entity Registrant Name	AQUINOX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001404644
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		10,727,221