Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Quidel Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation (consisting of normal recurring accruals) have been included. The information at September 30, 2014, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, is unaudited. For further information, refer to the Company’s consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2013 included in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Operating results for any quarter are historically seasonal in nature and are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year. The Company reclassified $0.2 million and $0.5 million from general and administrative expense to interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively, to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on net earnings or on the previously reported financial position of the Company. For 2014 and 2013, the Company’s fiscal year will end or has ended on December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. For 2014 and 2013, the Company’s third quarter ended on September 28, 2014 and September 29, 2013, respectively. For ease of reference, the calendar quarter end dates are used herein. The three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 each included 13 and 39 weeks, respectively. Comprehensive (Loss) Income Comprehensive (loss) income includes foreign currency translation adjustments excluded from the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, customer programs and incentives, bad debts, inventories, intangible assets, software development costs, stock-based compensation, restructuring, contingencies and litigation, contingent consideration, and income taxes. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates. Revenue Recognition The Company records revenues primarily from product sales. These revenues are recorded net of rebates and other discounts which are estimated at the time of sale, and are largely driven by various customer program offerings, including special pricing agreements, promotions and other volume-based incentives. Revenue from product sales are recorded upon passage of title and risk of loss to the customer. Change in title to the product and recognition of revenue occurs upon delivery to the customer when sales terms are free on board (“FOB”) destination and at the time of shipment when the sales terms are FOB shipping point and there is no right of return. A portion of product sales include revenues for diagnostic kits, which are utilized on leased instrument systems under the Company’s “reagent rental” program. The reagent rental program provides customers the right to use the instruments at no separate cost to the customer in consideration for a multi-year agreement to purchase annual minimum amounts of consumables (“reagents” or “diagnostic kits”). When an instrument is placed with a customer under a reagent rental agreement, the Company retains title to the equipment and it remains capitalized on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as property and equipment. The instrument is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the lease term or the life of the instrument. Depreciation expense is recorded in cost of sales included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The reagent rental agreements represent one unit of accounting as the instrument and consumables (reagents) are interdependent in producing a diagnostic result and neither has a stand-alone value with respect to these agreements. No revenue is recognized at the time of instrument placement. All revenue is recognized when the title and risk of loss for the diagnostic kits have passed to the customer. Royalty income from the grant of license rights is recognized during the period in which the revenue is earned and the amount is determinable from the licensee. The Company also earns income from the licensing of technology. The Company earns income from grants for research and commercialization activities. On November 6, 2012, the Company was awarded a milestone-based grant totaling up to $8.3 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop, manufacture and validate a quantitative, low-cost, nucleic acid assay for HIV drug treatment monitoring on the integrated Savanna™ MDx platform for use in limited resource settings. Upon execution of the grant agreement, the Company received $2.6 million to fund subsequent research and development activities and received milestone payments totaling $2.5 million in 2013. On September 10, 2014, the Company entered into an amended grant agreement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for additional funding of up to $12.6 million in order to accelerate the development of the Savanna MDx platform in the developing world. Upon execution of the amended grant agreement, the Company received $10.6 million in cash and expects to receive milestone payments of up to $5.2 million in 2015. The Company recognizes grant revenue on the lesser of the amount recognized on a proportional performance basis or the amount of cash payments that are non-refundable as of the end of each reporting period. The Company recognized $3.4 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as grant revenue associated with this grant. The Company recognized $4.7 million and $1.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as grant revenue associated with this grant. The Company classified $6.0 million and $1.0 million of funds received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as restricted cash as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. In addition, the Company has classified $7.9 million and $2.0 million as deferred grant revenue as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Fair Value Measurements The Company uses the fair value hierarchy established in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, that requires the valuation of assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements using a three tiered approach and fair value measurement be classified and disclosed by the Company in one of the following three categories: Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities; Level 2: Quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and Level 3: Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e. supported by little or no market activity). The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash, receivables, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of trade accounts receivable. The Company establishes reserves for estimated uncollectible accounts and believes its reserves are adequate. Collaborative Arrangement In July 2012, the Company entered into a collaborative arrangement with Life Technologies Corporation for the development of molecular assays. ASC Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements (“ASC 808”), defines a collaborative arrangement as an arrangement where the parties are active participants and have exposure to significant risks. The Company is accounting for the joint development and commercialization activities with the third-party as a joint risk sharing collaboration in accordance with ASC 808. Payments received from Life Technologies Corporation totaled $3.0 million in 2012, $1.4 million in 2013, and a $0.4 million payment in July 2014. The Company does not expect additional payments during the remainder of 2014, as the development efforts are complete. The reimbursement represents approximately 50% of project development costs based upon mutually agreed upon project plans for each molecular assay. The reimbursements are recorded as a reduction to research and development expense in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, to the extent that they are less than related expenditures for research and development activities subsequent to the date of the contract. The Company recognized $0.3 million of such reimbursements as a reduction to research and development expense during the three months ended September 30, 2013. The Company recognized no such reimbursements as a reduction to research and development expense for the three months ended September 30, 2014. The Company recognized $0.4 million and $1.4 million of such reimbursements as a reduction to research and development expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In March 2013, the Company entered into a six year instrument supply agreement (the “March 2013 Agreement”) with Life Technologies Corporation. Pursuant to the March 2013 Agreement, the Company paid $0.8 million for distribution rights to sell Life Technologies Corporation’s QuantStudio™ DX diagnostic laboratory instrument for use in the infectious disease field, along with the assays developed under the collaborative agreement. The distribution rights are included in intangible assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the contractual term of six years. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC Topic 606, Revenue Recognition - Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amends the guidance in former ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. This guidance is intended to improve and converge with international standards the financial reporting requirements for revenue from contracts with customers. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies will need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current authoritative guidance. These may include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption prohibited. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance and expects to adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2017. In August 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASU 2014-15 (Subtopic 205-40), Presentation of Financial Statements - Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The guidance requires management to evaluate whether there are conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued when applicable). Management will be required to make this evaluation for both annual and interim reporting periods and will have to make certain disclosures if it concludes that substantial doubt exists or when its plans alleviate substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Substantial doubt exists when relevant conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, indicate that it is probable that the entity will be unable to meet its obligations as they become due within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued). The term probable is used consistently with its use in ASC Topic 450, Contingencies. The guidance is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016 and for interim reporting periods starting in the first quarter 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance and expects to adopt the standard for the annual reporting period ended December 31, 2016.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Quidel Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation (consisting of normal recurring accruals) have been included.

The information at September 30, 2014, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, is unaudited. For further information, refer to the Company’s consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2013 included in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Operating results for any quarter are historically seasonal in nature and are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year.

The Company reclassified $0.2 million and $0.5 million from general and administrative expense to interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively, to conform to current year presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on net earnings or on the previously reported financial position of the Company.

For 2014 and 2013, the Company’s fiscal year will end or has ended on December 28, 2014 and December 29, 2013, respectively. For 2014 and 2013, the Company’s third quarter ended on September 28, 2014 and September 29, 2013, respectively. For ease of reference, the calendar quarter end dates are used herein. The three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 each included 13 and 39 weeks, respectively.

Comprehensive (Loss) Income

Comprehensive (loss) income includes foreign currency translation adjustments excluded from the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, customer programs and incentives, bad debts, inventories, intangible assets, software development costs, stock-based compensation, restructuring, contingencies and litigation, contingent consideration, and income taxes. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Revenue Recognition

The Company records revenues primarily from product sales. These revenues are recorded net of rebates and other discounts which are estimated at the time of sale, and are largely driven by various customer program offerings, including special pricing agreements, promotions and other volume-based incentives. Revenue from product sales are recorded upon passage of title and risk of loss to the customer. Change in title to the product and recognition of revenue occurs upon delivery to the customer when sales terms are free on board (“FOB”) destination and at the time of shipment when the sales terms are FOB shipping point and there is no right of return.

A portion of product sales include revenues for diagnostic kits, which are utilized on leased instrument systems under the Company’s “reagent rental” program. The reagent rental program provides customers the right to use the instruments at no separate cost to the customer in consideration for a multi-year agreement to purchase annual minimum amounts of consumables (“reagents” or “diagnostic kits”). When an instrument is placed with a customer under a reagent rental agreement, the Company retains title to the equipment and it remains capitalized on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as property and equipment. The instrument is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the lease term or the life of the instrument. Depreciation expense is recorded in cost of sales included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The reagent rental agreements represent one unit of accounting as the instrument and consumables (reagents) are interdependent in producing a diagnostic result and neither has a stand-alone value with respect to these agreements. No revenue is recognized at the time of instrument placement. All revenue is recognized when the title and risk of loss for the diagnostic kits have passed to the customer.

Royalty income from the grant of license rights is recognized during the period in which the revenue is earned and the amount is determinable from the licensee. The Company also earns income from the licensing of technology.

The Company earns income from grants for research and commercialization activities. On November 6, 2012, the Company was awarded a milestone-based grant totaling up to $8.3 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to

develop, manufacture and validate a quantitative, low-cost, nucleic acid assay for HIV drug treatment monitoring on the integrated Savanna™ MDx platform for use in limited resource settings. Upon execution of the grant agreement, the Company received $2.6 million to fund subsequent research and development activities and received milestone payments totaling $2.5 million in 2013. On September 10, 2014, the Company entered into an amended grant agreement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for additional funding of up to $12.6 million in order to accelerate the development of the Savanna MDx platform in the developing world. Upon execution of the amended grant agreement, the Company received $10.6 million in cash and expects to receive milestone payments of up to $5.2 million in 2015. The Company recognizes grant revenue on the lesser of the amount recognized on a proportional performance basis or the amount of cash payments that are non-refundable as of the end of each reporting period. The Company recognized $3.4 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as grant revenue associated with this grant. The Company recognized $4.7 million and $1.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as grant revenue associated with this grant. The Company classified $6.0 million and $1.0 million of funds received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as restricted cash as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. In addition, the Company has classified $7.9 million and $2.0 million as deferred grant revenue as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company uses the fair value hierarchy established in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, that requires the valuation of assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements using a three tiered approach and fair value measurement be classified and disclosed by the Company in one of the following three categories:

Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

Level 2: Quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

Level 3: Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e. supported by little or no market activity).

The carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, including cash, receivables, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of trade accounts receivable. The Company establishes reserves for estimated uncollectible accounts and believes its reserves are adequate.

Collaborative Arrangement

In July 2012, the Company entered into a collaborative arrangement with Life Technologies Corporation for the development of molecular assays. ASC Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements (“ASC 808”), defines a collaborative arrangement as an arrangement where the parties are active participants and have exposure to significant risks. The Company is accounting for the joint development and commercialization activities with the third-party as a joint risk sharing collaboration in accordance with ASC 808. Payments received from Life Technologies Corporation totaled $3.0 million in 2012, $1.4 million in 2013, and a $0.4 million payment in July 2014. The Company does not expect additional payments during the remainder of 2014, as the development efforts are complete. The reimbursement represents approximately 50% of project development costs based upon mutually agreed upon project plans for each molecular assay. The reimbursements are recorded as a reduction to research and development expense in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, to the extent that they are less than related expenditures for research and development activities subsequent to the date of the contract. The Company recognized $0.3 million of such reimbursements as a reduction to research and development expense during the three months ended September 30, 2013. The Company recognized no such reimbursements as a reduction to research and development expense for the three months ended September 30, 2014. The Company recognized $0.4 million and $1.4 million of such reimbursements as a reduction to research and development expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

In March 2013, the Company entered into a six year instrument supply agreement (the “March 2013 Agreement”) with Life Technologies Corporation. Pursuant to the March 2013 Agreement, the Company paid $0.8 million for distribution rights to sell Life Technologies Corporation’s QuantStudio™ DX diagnostic laboratory instrument for use in the infectious disease field, along with the assays developed under the collaborative agreement. The distribution rights are included in intangible assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the contractual term of six years.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC Topic 606, Revenue Recognition - Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which amends the guidance in former ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. This guidance is intended to improve and converge with international standards the financial reporting requirements for revenue from contracts with customers. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies will need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current authoritative guidance. These may include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption prohibited. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance and expects to adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2017.

In August 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASU 2014-15 (Subtopic 205-40), Presentation of Financial Statements - Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The guidance requires management to evaluate whether there are conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued when applicable). Management will be required to make this evaluation for both annual and interim reporting periods and will have to make certain disclosures if it concludes that substantial doubt exists or when its plans alleviate substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Substantial doubt exists when relevant conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, indicate that it is probable that the entity will be unable to meet its obligations as they become due within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued (or available to be issued). The term probable is used consistently with its use in ASC Topic 450, Contingencies. The guidance is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016 and for interim reporting periods starting in the first quarter 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance and expects to adopt the standard for the annual reporting period ended December 31, 2016.