Long-Term Obligations and Commitments (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011 time Y building sqft	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Operating Leases
Number of buildings in Carlsbad, California	3
Approximate area occupied for laboratory and office space (in square feet)	231,000
Area occupied for drug development business unit (in square feet)	28,704
Area cover under lease to support manufacturing facilities (in square feet)	25,792
Operating lease agreement, number of times it may be extended for facility initially expire in 2021	2
Lease period under lease extension for facility initially expire in 2021	5
Annual future minimum payments under operating leases
2012	$ 1,406,000
2013	1,423,000
2014	1,389,000
2015	1,332,000
2016	1,380,000
Thereafter	21,979,000
Total minimum payments	28,909,000
Rent expense	4,600,000	4,300,000	4,600,000
Deferred rent	1,175,000	793,000
Constructed research facility area, under the lease with BioMed (in square feet)	176,000
Book value of facility and associated parcel of land	71,500,000
Accumulated depreciation included in book value of facility	945,000
Purchase price of land, BioMed		10,100,000
Operating lease agreement, number of times it may be extended for facility expire in 2031	4
Lease period under lease extension for facility expire in 2031	5
Annual future rent payments for the new facility
2012	5,829,000
2013	5,829,000
2014	6,179,000
2015	6,179,000
2016	6,551,000
Thereafter	119,000,000
Total minimum payments	$ 149,567,000
Lease period under lease extension for new facility expiring in 2031	4
Lease period under lease extension for new facility initially expiring in 2021	5