Revenue Recognition	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Revenue recognition	3. Revenue Recognition As disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on March 21, 2012, and as further described below, the Company has been informed by its research collaboration partner Novartis Pharma AG (“Novartis”) of the termination of its oral human growth hormone, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis programs involving Emisphere’s Eligen^® technology. With regard to revenue recognition in connection with Novartis’ discontinued oral salmon calcitonin program for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, discontinued oral PTH-1-34 program for osteoporosis, and terminated oral recombinant human growth hormone program, all of the Company’s agreements with Novartis regarding such programs include(d) multiple deliverables including license grants, several versions of the Company’s Eligen^® Technology (or carriers) and support services. Emisphere’s management reviewed the relevant terms of each development license agreement with Novartis and determined such deliverables should be accounted for as a single unit of accounting in accordance with FASB ASC 605-25, “Multiple-Element Arrangements,” since the delivered license and Eligen ^® Technology do not have stand-alone value and Emisphere does not have objective evidence of fair value of the undelivered Eligen^® Technology. Such conclusion will be reevaluated as each item in the arrangement is delivered or the status of each agreement changes. Consequently, any payments received from Novartis pursuant to such agreements have been deferred and included in Deferred Revenue on the Company’s Balance Sheet. During 2011, Novartis terminated its oral human growth hormone program and informed the Company of its intention not to continue development of its oral calcitonin and oral PTH programs involving Emisphere’s Eligen^® Technology. However, under the terms of certain Development and License Agreements between the Company and Novartis, Novartis reserves the right to develop oral forms of salmon calcitonin or PTH using Emisphere’s Eligen ^® Technology. At such time that Novartis either completes the successful development of oral salmon calcitonin or oral PTH products using the Company’s Eligen^® Technology, or terminates its oral calcitonin and oral PTH agreements, or does not demonstrate reasonable commercial effort to continue developing oral calcitonin or oral PTH products, then the Company will recognize revenue in connection with past receipts of payments from Novartis derived from those agreements which are currently included in Deferred Revenue on the Company’s Balance Sheet. Management will continue to consider Novartis’s actions and to reevaluate circumstances that influence this determination in future. As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 total deferred revenue from all Novartis development license programs was approximately $13.0 million, comprised of the principal value ($10 million) plus interest ($3.0 million) we recorded on June 4, 2010, upon executing the Master Agreement and Amendment by and between the Company and Novartis dated as of June 4, 2010 (the “Novartis Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company was released and discharged from its obligations under the Novartis Note, as described in Note 9 to these Financial Statements. On July 20, 2012, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a press release in which it recommended that calcitonin-containing medicines should only be used for short-term treatment, because of evidence that long-term use of these medicines is associated with an increased risk of cancer. The full contents of the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use press release can be accessed on-line at the web address: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2012/07/news_detail_001573.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1. In light of this press release and the results of Novartis’ Phase III testing of an oral salmon calcitonin product intended for the treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis completed during 2011, the Company considered its accounting for deferred revenue received during prior periods in accordance with the terms of the Company’s development license agreement for oral salmon calcitonin with Novartis. The Company concluded that until Novartis legally releases the Company from all future obligations as they relate to Novartis’ rights to further pursue Emisphere’s Eligen ^® Technology, it would be premature to recognize the deferred revenue received during prior periods.

Revenue Recognition

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

3. Revenue Recognition

As disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, filed with the SEC on March 21, 2012, and as further described below, the Company has been informed by its research collaboration partner Novartis Pharma AG (“Novartis”) of the termination of its oral human growth hormone, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis programs involving Emisphere’s Eligen^® technology. With regard to revenue recognition in connection with Novartis’ discontinued oral salmon calcitonin program for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, discontinued oral PTH-1-34 program for osteoporosis, and terminated oral recombinant human growth hormone program, all of the Company’s agreements with Novartis regarding such programs include(d) multiple deliverables including license grants, several versions of the Company’s Eligen^® Technology (or carriers) and support services. Emisphere’s management reviewed the relevant terms of each development license agreement with Novartis and determined such deliverables should be accounted for as a single unit of accounting in accordance with FASB ASC 605-25, “Multiple-Element Arrangements,” since the delivered license and Eligen ^® Technology do not have stand-alone value and Emisphere does not have objective evidence of fair value of the undelivered Eligen^® Technology. Such conclusion will be reevaluated as each item in the arrangement is delivered or the status of each agreement changes. Consequently, any payments received from Novartis pursuant to such agreements have been deferred and included in Deferred Revenue on the Company’s Balance Sheet.

During 2011, Novartis terminated its oral human growth hormone program and informed the Company of its intention not to continue development of its oral calcitonin and oral PTH programs involving Emisphere’s Eligen^® Technology. However, under the terms of certain Development and License Agreements between the Company and Novartis, Novartis reserves the right to develop oral forms of salmon calcitonin or PTH using Emisphere’s Eligen ^® Technology. At such time that Novartis either completes the successful development of oral salmon calcitonin or oral PTH products using the Company’s Eligen^® Technology, or terminates its oral calcitonin and oral PTH agreements, or does not demonstrate reasonable commercial effort to continue developing oral calcitonin or oral PTH products, then the Company will recognize revenue in connection with past receipts of payments from Novartis derived from those agreements which are currently included in Deferred Revenue on the Company’s Balance Sheet. Management will continue to consider Novartis’s actions and to reevaluate circumstances that influence this determination in future.

As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 total deferred revenue from all Novartis development license programs was approximately $13.0 million, comprised of the principal value ($10 million) plus interest ($3.0 million) we recorded on June 4, 2010, upon executing the Master Agreement and Amendment by and between the Company and Novartis dated as of June 4, 2010 (the “Novartis Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company was released and discharged from its obligations under the Novartis Note, as described in Note 9 to these Financial Statements.

On July 20, 2012, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a press release in which it recommended that calcitonin-containing medicines should only be used for short-term treatment, because of evidence that long-term use of these medicines is associated with an increased risk of cancer. The full contents of the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use press release can be accessed on-line at the web address:

http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2012/07/news_detail_001573.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1.

In light of this press release and the results of Novartis’ Phase III testing of an oral salmon calcitonin product intended for the treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis completed during 2011, the Company considered its accounting for deferred revenue received during prior periods in accordance with the terms of the Company’s development license agreement for oral salmon calcitonin with Novartis. The Company concluded that until Novartis legally releases the Company from all future obligations as they relate to Novartis’ rights to further pursue Emisphere’s Eligen ^® Technology, it would be premature to recognize the deferred revenue received during prior periods.