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Variable Interest Entities (Details Textual) (Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary, USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	7 Months Ended
	May 31, 2014 program	Dec. 31, 2014	Apr. 30, 2015
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Number of programs licensed	5lgnd_VariableInterestEntityNumberofProgramsLicensed
Loss recorded (percent)		100.00%lgnd_VariableInterestEntityQualitativeorQuantitativeInformationLossPercentageRecorded
Debt
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Convertible loan facility extended	2.5us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityFinancialOrOtherSupportAmount / us-gaap_DerivativeByNatureAxis = us-gaap_DebtMember / us-gaap_VariableInterestEntitiesByClassificationOfEntityAxis = us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityPrimaryBeneficiaryMember
Interest rate (percent)	5.00%lgnd_VariableInterestEntityInterestAccrualRatePercentLessThanMaximum / us-gaap_DerivativeByNatureAxis = us-gaap_DebtMember / us-gaap_VariableInterestEntitiesByClassificationOfEntityAxis = us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityPrimaryBeneficiaryMember
Repayment in equity (percent)		200.00%lgnd_VariableInterestEntityLicenseAgreementRepaymentinEquityRepaymentPercentage / us-gaap_DerivativeByNatureAxis = us-gaap_DebtMember / us-gaap_VariableInterestEntitiesByClassificationOfEntityAxis = us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityPrimaryBeneficiaryMember
Scenario, Forecast
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Value of common stock in IPO issuance			29.0lgnd_VariableInterestEntityCommonStockIssuedUponIPOValue / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_ScenarioForecastMember / us-gaap_VariableInterestEntitiesByClassificationOfEntityAxis = us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityPrimaryBeneficiaryMember
Threshold proceeds from private financing			$ 20.0us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityActivityBetweenVIEAndEntityOtherMeasureOfActivityAmount / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_ScenarioForecastMember / us-gaap_VariableInterestEntitiesByClassificationOfEntityAxis = us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityPrimaryBeneficiaryMember

X

- Definition

Variable Interest Entity, Common Stock Issued Upon IPO, Value

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	lgnd_VariableInterestEntityCommonStockIssuedUponIPOValue
Namespace Prefix:	lgnd_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Variable Interest Entity, Interest Accrual Rate, Percent Less Than Maximum

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	lgnd_VariableInterestEntityInterestAccrualRatePercentLessThanMaximum
Namespace Prefix:	lgnd_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Variable Interest Entity, License Agreement, Repayment in Equity, Repayment Percentage

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	lgnd_VariableInterestEntityLicenseAgreementRepaymentinEquityRepaymentPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	lgnd_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Variable Interest Entity, Number of Programs Licensed

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	lgnd_VariableInterestEntityNumberofProgramsLicensed
Namespace Prefix:	lgnd_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

Variable Interest Entity, Qualitative or Quantitative Information, Loss Percentage Recorded

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	lgnd_VariableInterestEntityQualitativeorQuantitativeInformationLossPercentageRecorded
Namespace Prefix:	lgnd_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

The amount of activity, consisting of a transaction or a measure not described elsewhere in the taxonomy, occurring during the period between the reporting entity and the Variable Interest Entity (VIE) or potential VIE.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 810

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 6

-Subparagraph d

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28200181&loc=d3e5747-111685

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityActivityBetweenVIEAndEntityOtherMeasureOfActivityAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

The amount of financial or other support the reporting entity has provided (explicitly or implicitly) to the Variable Interest Entity (VIE) that it was not previously contractually required to provide or that the reporting entity intends to provide, including, for example, situations in which the reporting entity assisted the VIE in obtaining another type of support.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 810

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 5A

-Subparagraph (c)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28200181&loc=SL6759159-111685

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityFinancialOrOtherSupportAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeByNatureAxis=us-gaap_DebtMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis=us-gaap_ScenarioForecastMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: