Nature of the Business

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of the business

1. Nature of the business:

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Company”), incorporated in 1996 under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act and continued federally in 2000 under the Canada Business Corporation Act, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with neurological disorders. Building upon its extensive knowledge of human genetics and diseases caused by mutations in ion channels, known as channelopathies, the Company is advancing a novel product pipeline of neurology-focused therapies to address areas of high unmet medical need, with a focus on epilepsy.

The Company has incurred significant operating losses since inception. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $207,885 and a $34,497 net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018. Management expects to continue to incur significant expenses in excess of revenue and to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future. To date, the Company has financed its operations primarily through funding received from collaboration and license agreements, private placements of common and preferred shares, public offerings of common shares, debt financing, and government funding.

Until such time as the Company can generate substantial product revenue, if ever, management expects to finance the Company’s cash needs through a combination of collaboration agreements, equity and debt financings. The continuation of research and development activities and the future commercialization of its products are dependent on the Company’s ability to successfully raise additional funds when needed. It is not possible to predict either the outcome of future research and development programs or the Company’s ability to continue to fund these programs in the future.