Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Unaudited Interim Financial Statements

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and the related disclosures as of June 30, 2011 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 are unaudited and have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”) and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘SEC’’) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.  These interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2011. The December 31, 2010 condensed consolidated balance sheet included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all disclosures including notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.

The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature considered necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 2011 and results of its operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, and its cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. The interim results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. include the revenue, expenses and cash flows of Microbia, over which the Company exercised control until September 21, 2010, when the Company sold its 85% interest in Microbia to DSM. The Company recorded noncontrolling interest in its condensed consolidated statements of operations for the ownership interest of the minority owners of Microbia. All intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated in consolidation.

Sale of Subsidiary and Discontinued Operations

On September 21, 2010, the Company sold its interest in Microbia to DSM in exchange for cash proceeds of $9.5 million, the payment of approximately $1.1 million of Microbia debt and interest by DSM and future contingent consideration based on the sale of products incorporating Microbia’s technology. As a result of the sale of its interest in Microbia, the Company ceased to have any financial interest in Microbia. The Company maintained no further investment in Microbia and recorded a gain on the sale of Microbia in its consolidated statements of operations of approximately $12.2 million at the time of the sale.

Additionally, in accordance with the applicable accounting standards, the Company considered if the operations and cash flows of Microbia had been eliminated from the ongoing operations of the Company and if the Company would have any significant continuing involvement in the operations of Microbia after the sale in order to determine whether or not to present Microbia as discontinued operations in the financial statements. The Company determined that Microbia met the requirements for presentation as discontinued operations and accordingly, the Company classified the assets, liabilities, operations and cash flows of Microbia as discontinued operations for all periods presented prior to the sale.

The agreement with DSM also included future contingent consideration in the form of a royalty on future sales of products incorporating Microbia’s technology through the earlier of a) 2024, b) the invalidity of any Microbia patent, or c) the maximum agreed upon amount is reached. As of June 30, 2011, no amounts have been recorded for the contingent consideration in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

Amounts associated with the Company’s former subsidiary, Microbia, have been presented as discontinued operations for all periods in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and judgments that may affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, the Company’s management evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, available-for-sale securities, impairment of long-lived assets, income taxes including the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, research and development expense, contingencies and share-based compensation. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results in the period in which they become known.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investment instruments with an original maturity when purchased of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Investments qualifying as cash equivalents consist of money market funds and certain U.S. government sponsored securities. The carrying amount of cash equivalents approximates fair value. The amount of cash equivalents included in cash and cash equivalents was approximately $43.6 million and $39.2 million at June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively.

Available-for-Sale Securities

The Company classifies all short-term investments with an original maturity when purchased of greater than three months as available-for-sale. Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses reported in other comprehensive income (loss). The amortized cost of debt securities in this category is adjusted for the amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity. Such amortization is included in interest and investment income. Realized gains and losses, and declines in value judged to be other than temporary on available-for-sale securities, are included in interest and investment income.

The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method. Interest and dividends on securities classified as available-for-sale are included in interest and investment income. To determine whether an other-than-temporary impairment exists, the Company considers whether it has the ability and intent to hold the investment until a market price recovery, and whether evidence indicating the recoverability of the cost of the investment outweighs evidence to the contrary. There were no other-than-temporary impairments for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that subject the Company to credit risk primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, available-for-sale securities and accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalent balances with high-quality financial institutions and, consequently, the Company believes that such funds are subject to minimal credit risk. The Company’s available-for-sale investments primarily consist of U.S. government-sponsored securities and U.S. Treasury securities and potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk. The Company has adopted an investment policy which limits the amounts the Company may invest in any one type of investment, and requires all investments held by the Company to be A+ rated, thereby reducing credit risk concentration.

Accounts receivable primarily consist of amounts due under the collaboration agreement with Forest Laboratories, Inc. (“Forest”) and license agreements with Almirall, S.A. (“Almirall”) and Astellas Pharma Inc. (“Astellas”) (Note 5) for which the Company does not obtain collateral. Accounts receivable from Forest and Almirall are presented as related party accounts receivable on the condensed consolidated balance sheets as both entities own common stock of the Company.

At June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, accounts receivable from Forest, net of any payables due Forest, accounted for approximately 79% and 89%, respectively, of the Company’s total accounts receivable. At June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, Almirall accounted for approximately 17% and 10%, respectively, of the Company’s total accounts receivable.

The percentages of revenue from continuing operations recognized from significant customers of the Company in the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 are included in the following table:

	Three Months EndedJune 30,				Six Months EndedJune 30,
	2011		2010		2011		2010
Collaborative Partner:
Forest	48	%	59	%	51	%	60	%
Almirall	44	%	30	%	40	%	32	%
Astellas	8	%	11	%	9	%	8	%

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, no additional customers accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s revenue from continuing operations. Tate & Lyle Investments, Ltd. (“T&L”) accounted for approximately 99% and 98% of the Company’s revenue from discontinued operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s revenue is generated through collaborative research and development and licensing agreements. The terms of these agreements contain multiple deliverables which may include (i) licenses, (ii) research and development activities, and (iii) the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredient (“API”) and development materials for the collaborative partner. Payments to the Company under these agreements may include non-refundable license fees, payments for research and development activities, payments for the manufacture of API and development materials, payments based upon the achievement of certain milestones and royalties on product sales. In addition, prior to September 2010, the Company generated services revenue through agreements that generally provided for fees for research and development services rendered.

For arrangements that include multiple deliverables, the Company follows the provisions of the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 605-25, Revenue Recognition — Multiple-Element Arrangements, in accounting for these agreements. Effective January 1, 2011, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2009-13, Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements (“ASU 2009-13”), which amends ASC Topic 605-25. Refer to Note 2, Recently Adopted Accounting Standards, for additional discussion of this standard and its impact on the Company’s accounting for collaboration and license agreements. In order to account for these agreements, the Company must identify the deliverables included within the agreement and evaluate which deliverables represent separate units of accounting based on if certain criteria are met, including whether the delivered element has standalone value to the collaborator. The consideration received is allocated among the separate units of accounting, and the applicable revenue recognition criteria are applied to each of the separate units. The Company recognizes revenue when there is persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, services have been rendered or delivery has occurred, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured.

At June 30, 2011, the Company had collaboration and license agreements with Forest, Almirall and Astellas. Refer to Note 5, Collaboration and License Agreements, for additional discussion on these agreements.

There are no performance, cancellation, termination or refund provisions in any of the Company’s arrangements that contain material financial consequences to the Company.

Collaboration and License Agreements

The significant deliverables under the Company’s collaboration and license agreements generally include the license to develop and commercialize linaclotide, the Company’s GC-C agonist, and may also include deliverables related to research and development activities, and the manufacture of API and development materials for the collaborative partner.

Generally, collaboration and license agreements contain non-refundable terms for payments and, depending on the terms of the agreement, provide that the Company will (i) provide research and development activities, including participation on a joint development committee, (ii) manufacture API and development materials which are reimbursed at a contractually determined rate, (iii) earn payments upon the achievement of certain milestones, and (iv) earn royalty payments on sales of linaclotide. In determining the separate units of accounting, management evaluates whether the license has standalone value to the partner based on the consideration of the relevant facts and circumstances for each arrangement. Factors considered in this determination include the research capabilities of the partner and the availability of peptide research expertise in the general marketplace. In addition, the Company considers whether the collaborator can use the license for its intended purpose without the receipt of the remaining deliverables, and whether the value of the license is dependent on the undelivered items and whether there are other vendors that can provide the undelivered item.

For all of the collaboration and license agreements discussed in Note 5, the licenses and research and development activities did not qualify as separate units of accounting since the licenses did not have standalone value without the research and development activities. Up-front payments on a license are deferred if facts and circumstances dictate that the license does not have standalone value. The determination of the length of the period over which to defer revenue is subject to judgment and estimation and can have an impact on the amount of revenue recognized in a given period. The Company generally estimates this period as the estimated period of performance, which is typically the research and development term due to the Company’s continuing involvement in the performance of research and development activities, primarily through its participation on a joint development committee. Typically the research and development term begins at the inception of the collaboration or license agreement and concludes when the Company’s significant research and development obligations under the agreement have concluded. The Company believes this period of involvement is 60 months for the Forest collaboration, 41 months for the Almirall license agreement and 115 months for the Astellas license agreement. Quarterly, the Company reassesses its periods of substantial involvement over which the Company amortizes its up-front license fees and makes adjustments as appropriate. In the event that a license were to be terminated, the Company would recognize as revenue any portion of the up-front fee that had not previously been recorded as revenue, but was classified as deferred revenue at the date of such termination.

Up-front payments on a license may be recognized upon delivery of the license if facts and circumstances dictate that the license has standalone value from the undelivered elements, which generally include research and development activities and manufacture of API and development materials.

At the inception of each agreement that includes milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether each milestone is substantive and at risk to both parties on the basis of the contingent nature of the milestone, specifically reviewing factors such as the scientific and other risks that must be overcome to achieve the milestone, as well as the level of effort and investment required. Milestones that are not considered substantive are accounted for as license payments and recognized on a straight-line basis over the remaining period of performance. Refer to Note 5 for details on the specific milestones in each of the Company’s agreements.

In those circumstances where a substantive milestone is achieved, collection of the related receivable is reasonably assured and the Company has remaining obligations to perform under the collaboration arrangement, the Company has historically recognized as revenue on the date the milestone was achieved an amount equal to the applicable percentage of the performance period that had elapsed as of the date the milestone was achieved, with the balance being deferred and recognized on a straight-line basis over the remaining period of performance. Effective January 1, 2011, the Company adopted ASU No. 2010-17, Revenue Recognition — Milestone Method (“ASU 2010-17”). Refer to Note 2, Recently Adopted Accounting Standards, for additional discussion of the adoption of this standard and its prospective impact on the Company’s accounting for collaboration and license agreements. Under ASU 2010-17, beginning January 1, 2011, in those circumstances where a substantive milestone is achieved and collection of the related receivable is reasonably assured, the Company will recognize revenue related to the milestone in its entirety in the period in which the milestone is achieved. Milestone payments received in prior periods will continue to be recognized based upon the remaining period of performance.

The Company produces development materials and API for its collaborators and is reimbursed for its costs to produce the material. The Company recognizes revenue on development material and API when the material has passed all quality testing required for collaborator acceptance, delivery has occurred, title and risk of loss have transferred to the collaborator, the price is fixed or determinable, and collection is reasonably assured.

The Company receives research and development funding under the Forest collaboration agreement and considers the factors or indicators within this arrangement to determine whether reporting such funding on a gross or net basis is appropriate. The Company records revenue transactions gross in the condensed consolidated statements of operations if it is deemed the principal in the transaction, which includes being the primary obligor and having the risks and rewards of ownership.

Services Revenue

Prior to September 2010, the Company recognized services revenue when there was persuasive evidence that an arrangement existed, services had been rendered or delivery had occurred, the price was fixed and determinable, and collection was reasonably assured. Revenue from research and development services rendered was recognized as services were performed. As a result of the sale of the Company’s interest in Microbia in September 2010, services revenue is included in net loss from discontinued operations.

Research and Development Costs

The Company expenses research and development costs to operations as incurred. The Company defers and capitalizes non-refundable advance payments made by the Company for research and development activities until the related goods are received or the related services are performed.

Research and development expenses are comprised of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including salaries and benefits, share-based compensation expense, laboratory supplies and other direct expenses, facilities expenses, overhead expenses, contractual services, including clinical trial and related clinical manufacturing expenses, and other outside expenses. As a result of the sale of the Company’s interest in Microbia in September 2010, costs of revenue related to the Microbia services contracts and costs associated with Microbia’s research and development activities are included in net loss from discontinued operations.

The Company has entered into a collaboration agreement in which it shares research and development expenses with a collaborator. The Company records the expenses for such work as research and development expense. Because the collaboration arrangement is a cost-sharing arrangement, the Company concluded that when there is a period during the collaboration arrangement during which the Company receives payments from the collaborator, the Company records the payments by the collaborator for their share of the development effort as a reduction of research and development expense.

Share-Based Compensation

Share-based compensation is recognized as an expense in the financial statements based on the grant date fair value. Compensation expense recognized relates to stock awards, restricted stock and stock options granted, modified, repurchased or cancelled on or after January 1, 2006. Stock options granted to employees prior to that time continue to be accounted for using the intrinsic value method. Under the intrinsic value method, compensation associated with share-based awards to employees was determined as the difference, if any, between the fair value of the underlying common stock on the date compensation was measured, generally the grant date, and the price an employee must pay to exercise the award. For awards that vest based on service conditions, the Company uses the straight-line method to allocate compensation expense to reporting periods. The grant date fair value of options granted is calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires the use of subjective assumptions including volatility, expected term and the fair value of the underlying common stock, among others.

The Company records the expense for stock option grants subject to performance-based milestone vesting over the remaining service period when management determines that achievement of the milestone is probable. Management evaluates when the achievement of a performance-based milestone is probable based on the relative satisfaction of the performance conditions as of the reporting date.

The Company records the expense of services rendered by non-employees based on the estimated fair value of the stock option using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of unvested non-employee awards are remeasured at each reporting period and expensed over the vesting term of the underlying stock options.

Noncontrolling Interest

Noncontrolling interest represents the noncontrolling stockholder’s proportionate share of equity and net income or net loss of the Company’s former consolidated subsidiary, Microbia. On September 21, 2010, the Company sold its interest in Microbia, resulting in the deconsolidation of its former subsidiary bringing the noncontrolling interest balance to zero.

Net Loss Per Share

The Company calculates basic and diluted net loss per common share by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The Company has excluded unvested restricted stock and shares that are subject to repurchase by the Company from the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. The Company’s potentially dilutive shares, which include outstanding common stock options and unvested shares of restricted stock, have not been included in the computation of diluted net loss per share for all periods as the result would be antidilutive. The Company presents the net loss per share attributable to both continuing and discontinued operations. The loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest is included in the net loss per share from discontinued operations.

Income Taxes

The Company provides for income taxes under the liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance to reflect the uncertainty associated with their ultimate realization.

Management of the Company has evaluated the positive and negative evidence bearing upon the realizability of its deferred tax assets. Management has considered the Company’s history of operating losses and concluded, in accordance with the applicable accounting standards, that it is more likely than not that the Company will not realize the benefit of its deferred tax assets. Accordingly, the deferred tax assets have been fully reserved at June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010. Management reevaluates the positive and negative evidence on a quarterly basis.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions recognized in the condensed consolidated financial statements by prescribing a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. There were no income tax provisions or benefits for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 given the Company’s continued net operating loss position.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company regularly reviews the carrying amount of its long-lived assets to determine whether indicators of impairment may exist which warrant adjustments to carrying values or estimated useful lives. If indications of impairment exist, projected future undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset are compared to the carrying amount to determine whether the asset’s value is recoverable. If the carrying value of the asset exceeds such projected undiscounted cash flows, the asset will be written down to its estimated fair value. There were no indicators of impairment at June 30, 2011.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

All components of comprehensive income (loss) are required to be disclosed in the condensed consolidated financial statements. Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions, and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources and consists of net loss and changes in unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities. Comprehensive loss from operations was calculated as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months EndedJune 30,						Six Months EndedJune 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
Net loss attributable to Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	$	(18,844	)	$	(17,136	)	$	(37,245	)	$	(33,060	)
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on investments	1			143			52			44
Comprehensive loss attributable to Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	$	(18,843	)	$	(16,993	)	$	(37,193	)	$	(33,016	)

Segment Information

Operating segments are components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available and is evaluated regularly by the Company’s chief operating decision-maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance.

Prior to the sale of its interest in Microbia in September 2010, the Company had two reportable business segments: human therapeutics and biomanufacturing (Note 12). Revenue from the Company’s human therapeutics segment is presented in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as collaborative arrangements revenue. Revenue from the Company’s biomanufacturing segment is presented as a component of the net loss from discontinued operations.

New Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In October 2009, the FASB issued ASU 2009-13. ASU 2009-13 amends existing revenue recognition accounting pronouncements that are currently within the scope of FASB ASC Subtopic 605-25 (previously included within EITF 00-21, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables (“EITF 00-21”)). The consensus to ASU 2009-13 provides accounting principles and application guidance on whether multiple deliverables exist, how the arrangement should be separated, and the consideration allocated. This guidance eliminates the requirement to establish the fair value of undelivered products and services and instead provides for separate revenue recognition based upon management’s estimate of the selling price for an undelivered item when there is no other means to determine the fair value of that undelivered item. EITF 00-21 previously required that the fair value of the undelivered item be the price of the item either sold in a separate transaction between unrelated third parties or the price charged for each item when the item is sold separately by the vendor. Under EITF 00-21, if the fair value of all of the elements in the arrangement was not determinable, then revenue was deferred until all of the items were delivered or fair value was determined. This new approach is effective prospectively for revenue arrangements entered into or materially modified in fiscal years beginning on or after June 15, 2010. On January 1, 2011, the Company adopted ASU 2009-13 on a prospective basis. The adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.

In April 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-17. ASU 2010-17 provides guidance in applying the milestone method of revenue recognition to research or development arrangements. Under this guidance, management may recognize revenue contingent upon the achievement of a milestone in its entirety, in the period in which the milestone is achieved, if the milestone meets all the criteria within the guidance to be considered substantive. This ASU is effective for research and development milestones achieved in fiscal years, beginning on or after June 15, 2010. On January 1, 2011, the Company adopted ASU 2010-17 to change its accounting policy to begin applying the milestone method on a prospective basis. As the Company elected prospective adoption, there was no material impact on its consolidated financial position or results of operations. However, the adoption of ASU 2010-17 is expected to impact the Company’s accounting for any milestone payments received in future periods.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In December 2010, the FASB issued ASU No. 2010-27, Fees Paid to the Federal Government by Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ( “ASU 2010-27”) which provides guidance on how to recognize and classify the fees mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (together, the “Acts”). The Acts impose an annual fee for each calendar year beginning on or after January 1, 2011 payable by branded prescription drug manufacturers and importers on branded prescription drugs. The liability for the fee should be estimated and recorded in full upon the first qualifying sale with a corresponding deferred cost that is amortized to expense using a straight-line method of allocation over the calendar year that it is payable. ASU 2010-27 is effective for calendar years beginning on or after December 31, 2010, when the fee initially becomes effective. As the Company does not currently have a commercial product, the effect of this guidance will be limited to future transactions.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2011-05”) which is intended to facilitate the convergence of U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as well as to increase the transparency of items reported in other comprehensive income. As a result of ASU 2011-05, all nonowner changes in stockholders’ equity are required to be presented in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The option to present other comprehensive income in the statement of changes in equity has been eliminated. ASU 2011-05 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011 and should be applied retrospectively. The Company expects to adopt this standard beginning in 2012. As ASU 2011-05 impacts presentation only, it will have no effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.