Nature of Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business	1. Nature of Business Background Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc., together with its subsidiary, Atea Pharmaceuticals Securities Corporation, is referred to on a consolidated basis as the "Company”. The Company is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing antiviral therapeutics to improve the lives of patients suffering from severe viral infections. Risks and Uncertainties The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies. These risks include, but are not limited to, potential failure of preclinical and clinical studies, uncertainties associated with research and development activities generally, competition from technical innovations of others, dependence upon key personnel, compliance with governmental regulations, the need to obtain marketing approval for any product candidate that the Company may develop, the need to gain broad acceptance among patients, payers and health care providers to successfully commercialize any product for which marketing approval is obtained and the need to secure and maintain adequate intellectual property protection for the Company’s proprietary technology and products. Further, the Company is currently dependent on third-party service providers for much of its preclinical research, clinical development and manufacturing activities. Product candidates currently under development will require significant amounts of additional capital, and additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization. Even if the Company is able to generate revenues from the sale of its product candidates, if approved, it may not become profitable. If the Company fails to become profitable or is unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then it may be unable to continue its operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce its operations. The Company may seek additional capital through one or more of a combination of financing through the sale of additional equity securities, debt financing, or funding in connection with any new collaborative relationships it may enter into or other arrangements. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain such additional funding, on terms acceptable to the Company, on a timely basis or at all. The terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of the Company’s existing stockholders. The Company believes that its cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $620,488 as of March 31, 2023 will be sufficient to fund its operations as currently planned through at least twelve months from the issuance of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. In November 2021, the Company entered into an open market sales agreement (“Sales Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), under which the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of its common stock for an aggregate offering price of up to $200.0 million, through or to Jefferies, acting as sales agent or principal. The shares will be offered and sold under the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 and a related prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 24, 2021, as amended. The Company has agreed to pay Jefferies a commission of 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds from each sale of shares, reimburse legal fees and disbursements and provide Jefferies with customary indemnification and contribution rights. As of March 31, 2023, no shares have been issued under the Sales Agreement. The Company is also subject to risks associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic, including actual and potential delays associated with certain of its ongoing and anticipated trials, and potential negative impacts on the Company’s business operations and its ability to raise additional capital to finance its operations. Geopolitical events, including civil or political unrest (such as the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia), have resulted in a significant disruption of global business and financial markets. In addition, recent or future market volatility, increased inflation and higher interest rates, if sustained, may increase our cost of financing and may restrict our access to potential sources of future liquidity.

Nature of Business

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

1. Nature of Business

Background

Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc., together with its subsidiary, Atea Pharmaceuticals Securities Corporation, is referred to on a consolidated basis as the "Company”.

The Company is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing antiviral therapeutics to improve the lives of patients suffering from severe viral infections.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company is subject to risks and uncertainties common to clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companies. These risks include, but are not limited to, potential failure of preclinical and clinical studies, uncertainties associated with research and development activities generally, competition from technical innovations of others, dependence upon key personnel, compliance with governmental regulations, the need to obtain marketing approval for any product candidate that the Company may develop, the need to gain broad acceptance among patients, payers and health care providers to successfully commercialize any product for which marketing approval is obtained and the need to secure and maintain adequate intellectual property protection for the Company’s proprietary technology and products. Further, the Company is currently dependent on third-party service providers for much of its preclinical research, clinical development and manufacturing activities. Product candidates currently under development will require significant amounts of additional capital, and additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization. Even if the Company is able to generate revenues from the sale of its product candidates, if approved, it may not become profitable. If the Company fails to become profitable or is unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then it may be unable to continue its operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce its operations.

The Company may seek additional capital through one or more of a combination of financing through the sale of additional equity securities, debt financing, or funding in connection with any new collaborative relationships it may enter into or other arrangements. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain such additional funding, on terms acceptable to the Company, on a timely basis or at all. The terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of the Company’s existing stockholders. The Company believes that its cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities of $620,488 as of March 31, 2023 will be sufficient to fund its operations as currently planned through at least twelve months from the issuance of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

In November 2021, the Company entered into an open market sales agreement (“Sales Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), under which the Company may from time to time offer and sell shares of its common stock for an aggregate offering price of up to $200.0 million, through or to Jefferies, acting as sales agent or principal. The shares will be offered and sold under the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 and a related prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 24, 2021, as amended. The Company has agreed to pay Jefferies a commission of 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds from each sale of shares, reimburse legal fees and disbursements and provide Jefferies with customary indemnification and contribution rights. As of March 31, 2023, no shares have been issued under the Sales Agreement.

The Company is also subject to risks associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic, including actual and potential delays associated with certain of its ongoing and anticipated trials, and potential negative impacts on the Company’s business operations and its ability to raise additional capital to finance its operations. Geopolitical events, including civil or political unrest (such as the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia), have resulted in a significant disruption of global business and financial markets. In addition, recent or future market volatility, increased inflation and higher interest rates, if sustained, may increase our cost of financing and may restrict our access to potential sources of future liquidity.