Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 01, 2017	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($) Distributor	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($) Distributor Contract	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) Distributor Contract	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated deficit		$ (2,930,249,000)		$ (2,930,249,000)		$ (2,854,898,000)
Reclassification from changes in inventory to inventory write-off		1,000,000		1,792,000	$ 1,793,000
Reclassification from other to loss on sale, abandonment/disposal or impairment of property and equipment				(10,000)	$ 179,000
Cash and cash equivalents		10,446,000		10,446,000		43,946,000
Restricted cash		527,000		527,000		4,409,000
Principal amount of outstanding borrowings		$ 104,700,000		$ 104,700,000
Stock split of common stock	0.2
Reverse stock split, description				The Company’s board of directors approved a 1-for-5 reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding common stock. On March 1, 2017, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware a Certificate of Amendment of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter Amendment”) to effect the 1-for-5 reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”) . The Company’s common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on a split-adjusted basis when the market opened on March 3, 2017. As a result, prior to March 3, 2017, all common stock share amounts included in these condensed consolidated financial statements have been retroactively reduced by a factor of five, and all common stock per share amounts have been increased by a factor of five, with the exception of the Company’s common stock par value.
Net deferred revenue						$ 3,038,000
Number of wholesale distributors | Distributor		3		3		3
Percentage of product shipments to wholesale distributors		90.00%	92.00%	89.00%	92.00%
Revenue - other		$ 4,469,000	$ 2,043,000	$ 11,827,000	$ 7,215,000
Loss on purchase commitments				$ 100,400,000
Loss on purchase commitments, number of new contracts recognized | Contract				0		0
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Increase of assets and liabilities arising from operating leases upon adoption of ASU		$ 6,000,000		$ 6,000,000
Third party logistics
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Net deferred revenue						$ 1,500,000
AFREZZA product sales
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Estimated current return reserve rate		3.80%		3.80%
Revenue - other		$ 4,387,000	$ 1,981,000	$ 11,542,000	4,726,000
Bulk insulin sales and sale of intellectual property
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Revenue - other					$ 2,300,000
Senior convertible notes due December 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Senior notes, effective interest rate		9.75%		9.75%
Principal amount of outstanding borrowings		$ 12,000,000		$ 12,000,000
Senior convertible notes due December 31, 2019 | Tranche B Notes
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Principal amount of outstanding borrowings		14,495,000		14,495,000		$ 54,407,000
Deerfield | Tranche B Notes
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Principal amount of outstanding borrowings		$ 20,000,000		$ 20,000,000
Deerfield | Senior convertible notes due December 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Senior notes, effective interest rate		9.75%		9.75%
Principal amount of outstanding borrowings		$ 120,000,000		$ 120,000,000
Deerfield | Senior convertible notes due December 31, 2019 | Tranche B Notes
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Available amount of credit facility under covenant restrictions for each quarter end after current fiscal		$ 25,000,000		$ 25,000,000
Senior notes, effective interest rate		8.75%		8.75%
Minimum | AFREZZA product sales
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Sales return right following product expiration in months				6 months
Minimum | Deerfield | Senior convertible notes due December 31, 2019 | Subsequent Event | Tranche B Notes
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Available amount of credit facility under covenant restrictions								$ 20,000,000
Minimum | Deerfield | Scenario Forecast | Senior convertible notes due December 31, 2019 | Tranche B Notes
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Available amount of credit facility under covenant restrictions							$ 20,000,000
Maximum | AFREZZA product sales
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Sales return right following product expiration in months				12 months