Note 1 - Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	NOTE 1 BUSINESS Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly A.P. Pharma, Inc.) (the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”) is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing products using its proprietary Biochronomer™ polymer-based drug delivery platform. This drug delivery platform is designed to improve the therapeutic profile of injectable pharmaceuticals by converting them from products that must be injected once or twice per day to products that need to be injected only once every one or two weeks. The Company’s lead product candidate, Sustol, is being developed for the prevention of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing both moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy and for the prevention of delayed CINV for patients undergoing moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. One of the most debilitating side effects of cancer chemotherapy, CINV is a leading cause of premature discontinuations of treatment. There is only one injectable 5-HT3 antagonist approved for the prevention of delayed-onset CINV, so this indication represents an area of particular unmet medical need. Sustol contains the 5-HT3 antagonist granisetron formulated in our proprietary Biochonomer drug delivery system, which allows therapeutic drug levels to be maintained for five days with a single subcutaneous injection. This five-day range is designed to cover the delayed phase of CINV. Granisetron was selected for Sustol because it is widely prescribed by physicians based on a well-established record of safety and efficacy. In May 2009, we filed the original New Drug Application (NDA) seeking approval for Sustol with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for the Sustol NDA in March 2010. In September 2012, we resubmitted the NDA seeking approval for Sustol with the FDA. In March 2013, we received a second Complete Response Letter, which identifies several issues that preclude approval of the Sustol NDA. We believe the issues that remain are addressable, and we are working expeditiously to resubmit the Sustol NDA in the second quarter of 2014. We own the worldwide rights to Sustol and are in the early stage of building commercial infrastructure necessary to commercialize Sustol in the U.S. on our own. Additionally, we are exploring the potential use of our Biochronomer polymer with other drugs and intend to pursue the clinical development of one or more other drug candidates based on our proprietary delivery platform. In January 2014, we changed our name from A.P. Pharma, Inc. to Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (Name Change). The Name Change is part of our recent corporate restructuring and rebranding of the Company. We believe the Name Change will emphasize our shift from a polymer development company to a commercial phase specialty pharmaceutical company, assuming approval of Sustol. Effective January 13, 2014, we effected a 1-for-20 reverse split of our outstanding common stock (Reverse Stock Split). (See Notes 8 and 15). All historical share and per share amounts have been adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. All stock options, convertible notes and warrants outstanding were appropriately adjusted to give effect to the Reverse Stock Split.

Note 1 - Business

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]

NOTE 1 BUSINESS

Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly A.P. Pharma, Inc.) (the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”) is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing products using its proprietary Biochronomer™ polymer-based drug delivery platform. This drug delivery platform is designed to improve the therapeutic profile of injectable pharmaceuticals by converting them from products that must be injected once or twice per day to products that need to be injected only once every one or two weeks.

The Company’s lead product candidate, Sustol, is being developed for the prevention of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing both moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy and for the prevention of delayed CINV for patients undergoing moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. One of the most debilitating side effects of cancer chemotherapy, CINV is a leading cause of premature discontinuations of treatment. There is only one injectable 5-HT3 antagonist approved for the prevention of delayed-onset CINV, so this indication represents an area of particular unmet medical need. Sustol contains the 5-HT3 antagonist granisetron formulated in our proprietary Biochonomer drug delivery system, which allows therapeutic drug levels to be maintained for five days with a single subcutaneous injection. This five-day range is designed to cover the delayed phase of CINV. Granisetron was selected for Sustol because it is widely prescribed by physicians based on a well-established record of safety and efficacy.

In May 2009, we filed the original New Drug Application (NDA) seeking approval for Sustol with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA issued a Complete Response Letter for the Sustol NDA in March 2010. In September 2012, we resubmitted the NDA seeking approval for Sustol with the FDA. In March 2013, we received a second Complete Response Letter, which identifies several issues that preclude approval of the Sustol NDA. We believe the issues that remain are addressable, and we are working expeditiously to resubmit the Sustol NDA in the second quarter of 2014.

We own the worldwide rights to Sustol and are in the early stage of building commercial infrastructure necessary to commercialize Sustol in the U.S. on our own.

Additionally, we are exploring the potential use of our Biochronomer polymer with other drugs and intend to pursue the clinical development of one or more other drug candidates based on our proprietary delivery platform.

In January 2014, we changed our name from A.P. Pharma, Inc. to Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (Name Change). The Name Change is part of our recent corporate restructuring and rebranding of the Company. We believe the Name Change will emphasize our shift from a polymer development company to a commercial phase specialty pharmaceutical company, assuming approval of Sustol.

Effective January 13, 2014, we effected a 1-for-20 reverse split of our outstanding common stock (Reverse Stock Split). (See Notes 8 and 15).

All historical share and per share amounts have been adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split. All stock options, convertible notes and warrants outstanding were appropriately adjusted to give effect to the Reverse Stock Split.