Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash, deposits held at call with banks, and short-term highly liquid instruments with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of 90 days or less.

Research and Development Costs

Research and Development Costs

The Company charges research and development costs to operations as incurred. Research and development expenses are comprised of costs incurred by the Company in performing research and development activities, including salary and benefits; stock-based compensation expense; laboratory supplies and other direct expenses; contractual services, including clinical trial and pharmaceutical development costs; commercial supply investment in its drug candidates; and infrastructure costs, including facilities costs and depreciation expense.

Marketing, General and Administrative Costs

Marketing, General and Administrative Costs

Warrant related expense from non-cash changes in fair value of the warrant derivative liability associated with warrants issued in October 2009 to former officers of Amarin is recorded as compensation expense and classified as part of marketing, general and administrative costs, net of warrants exercised.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of differences between the carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities and operating loss carryforwards and other attributes using enacted rates expected to be in effect when those differences reverse. Valuation allowances are provided against deferred tax assets that are not more likely than not to be realized.

The Company provides reserves for potential payments of tax to various tax authorities or does not recognize tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions and other issues. Tax benefits for uncertain tax positions are based on a determination of whether a tax benefit taken by the Company in its tax filings or positions is “more likely than not” to be realized, assuming that the matter in question will be decided based on its technical merits. The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties in the provision for income taxes.

Net Income (Loss) per Share

Net (Loss) Income per Share

Basic net (loss) income per share is determined by dividing net (loss) income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net (loss) income per share is determined by dividing net (loss) income by diluted weighted average shares outstanding. Diluted weighted average shares reflects the dilutive effect, if any, of potentially dilutive common shares, such as common stock options and warrants calculated using the treasury stock method and convertible notes using the “if-converted” method. In periods with reported net operating losses, all common stock options and warrants are deemed anti-dilutive such that basic net loss per share and diluted net loss per share are equal.

The following table presents the calculation of both basic and diluted net (loss) income per share:


	Three Months Ended
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)
	March 31, 2012			March 31, 2011
Net (loss) income	$	(88,285	)	$	18,294


Weighted average shares outstanding		136,011			123,426
Dilutive effect of employee stock options and warrants		0			28,074


Diluted weighted average shares outstanding		136,011			151,500


Basic (loss) income per share	$	(0.65	)	$	0.15
Diluted (loss) income per share	$	(0.65	)	$	0.12

Potentially dilutive securities representing approximately 51.5 million and 1.1 million shares of common stock for the three month period ended March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011, respectively, were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as compensation cost over the requisite service period.

Derivative Instruments

Derivative Instruments

Derivative financial liabilities are recorded at fair value, with gains and losses arising for changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations at each period end while such instruments are outstanding. If the Company issues shares to discharge the liability, the derivative financial liability is derecognized and common stock and additional paid-in capital are recognized on the issuance of those shares. The warrants are valued using a Black-Scholes option pricing model or a Monte Carlo simulation depending on the nature of instrument.

If the terms of warrants that initially require the warrants to be classified as derivative financial liabilities lapse, the derivative financial liability is reclassified out of financial liabilities into equity at its fair value on that date. At settlement date, if the instruments are settled in shares the carrying value of the warrants are derecognised and transferred to equity at their fair value at that date. The cash proceeds received from exercises of warrants are recorded in common stock and additional paid-in capital.

Debt Instruments

Debt Instruments

Debt instruments are initially recorded at fair value, with coupon interest and amortization of debt issuance discounts recognized in the statement of operations as interest expense at each period end while such instruments are outstanding. If the Company issues shares to discharge the liability, the debt obligation is derecognized and common stock and additional paid-in capital are recognized on the issuance of those shares.

Our exchangeable notes contain a conversion option which is classified as equity. The fair value of the liability component of the debt instrument was deducted from the initial proceeds to determine the proceeds to be allocated to the conversion option. The embedded conversion option is indexed to the Company’s stock and treated as equity on the balance sheet. The conversion option is evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine if it still meets the criteria to be equity classified. The excess principal amount of the debt over the carrying value of the liability is amortized over its estimated life.

Foreign Currency

Foreign Currency

All subsidiaries use the United States dollar as the functional currency. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are remeasured into United States dollars at year-end exchange rates. Non-monetary assets and liabilities carried in a foreign currency are remeasured into United States dollars using rates of exchange prevailing when such assets or liabilities were obtained or incurred, and expenses are generally remeasured using rates of exchange prevailing when such expenses are incurred. Gains and losses from the remeasurement are included in other income, net in the consolidated financial statements of operations. For transactions settled during the period, gains and losses are included in other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations. Foreign exchange gains (and losses) have not been significant in the periods presented.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company provides disclosure of financial assets and financial liabilities that are carried at fair value based on the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurements may be classified based on the amount of subjectivity associated with the inputs to fair valuation of these assets and liabilities using the following three levels:

Level 1—Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2—Inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (i.e., interest rates, yield curves, etc.) and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means (market corroborated inputs).

Level 3—Unobservable inputs that reflect the Company’s estimates of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The Company develops these inputs based on the best information available, including its own data.

The following table presents information about the Company’s liability as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011 that is measured at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value:

		00000000		00000000		00000000		00000000
	March 31, 2012
*In thousands*	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3

Asset:

Cash equivalents	$	37	$	37	$	—	$	—


Liability:

Warrant derivative liability	$	191,387	$	—	$	—	$	191,387

		00000000		00000000		00000000		00000000
	December 31, 2011
*In thousands*	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3

Asset:

Cash equivalents	$	39	$	39	$	—	$	—


Liability:

Warrant derivative liability	$	123,125	$	—	$	—	$	123,125

The carrying amounts of cash, cash equivalents, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of their short-term nature.

At December 31, 2011, the fair value of the warrant derivative liability was determined to be $123.1 million using the Black-Scholes option valuation model applying the following assumptions: (i) risk-free rate of 0.36%, (ii) remaining term of 2.8 years, (iii) no dividend yield (iv) volatility of 118%, and (v) the stock price on the date of measurement.

At March 31, 2012, the fair value of the warrant derivative liability was determined to be $191.4 million using the Black-Scholes option valuation model applying the following assumptions: (i) risk-free rate of 0.42%, (ii) remaining term of 2.5 years, (iii) no dividend yield (iv) volatility of 119%, and (v) the stock price on the date of measurement. The $68.3 million increase in the fair value of the warrant liability during the three months ended March 31, 2012 was recognized as: (i) a $0.3 million transfer from warrant liability to additional paid-in capital for the fair value of warrants exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2012, (ii) a $66.2 million loss on change in fair value of the remaining derivative liability and (iii) $2.4 million compensation expense for change in fair value of warrants issued to former employees, both amounts are included in the consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2012. The change in the fair value of the warrant derivative liability is as follows (in thousands):


	October 2009 Warrants
Balance at December 31, 2010	$	230,069

Gain on change in fair value of derivative liability		(25,342	)
Compensation income for change in fair value of warrants issued to former employees		(679	)
Transfers to equity		(29,229	)


Balance at March 31, 2011	$	174,819


	October 2009 Warrants
Balance at December 31, 2011	$	123,125

Loss on change in fair value of derivative liability		66,209
Compensation expense for change in fair value of warrants issued to former employees		2,374
Transfers to equity		(321	)


Balance at March 31, 2012	$	191,387

The fair value of this warrant liability is determined using the Black-Scholes option valuation model and is therefore sensitive to changes in the market price of our common stock among other factors. In the event of a hypothetical 10% increase in the market price of our common stock ($12.45 based on the $11.32 market price of our stock at March 31, 2012) on which the March 31, 2012 valuation was based, the value would have increased by $20.7 million. Such increase would have been reflected as additional loss on revaluation of the warrant liability in our statement of operations. Significant increases (decreases) in this input in isolation would result in a significantly higher (lower) fair value asset measurement.

Segment and Geographical Information

Segment and Geographical Information

For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company has reported its business as a single reporting segment. The Company’s chief decision maker, who is the Chief Executive Officer, regularly evaluates the Company on a consolidated basis.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by FASB and are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. The Company believes that the impact of other recently issued but not yet adopted accounting pronouncements will not have a material impact on consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows, or do not apply to the Company’s operations.