Nature of Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Nature of Business [Abstract]
Nature of Business	1. Nature of Business Galena Biopharma Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” “Galena” or the “Company”) is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapies addressing major unmet medical needs using targeted biotherapeutics. Galena is pursuing the development of novel cancer therapeutics using peptide-based immunotherapy products, including our main product candidate, NeuVax (E75), for the treatment of various cancers. The Company was incorporated as Argonaut Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in Delaware, on April 3, 2006. The Company changed its name to RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation on November 28, 2006. We acquired Apthera and our NeuVax product candidate in April 2011. Prior to that time, we were engaged primarily in conducting discovery research and preclinical development activities based on RNAi. Our acquisition of Apthera followed from the determination by our board of directors to broaden our strategic direction by giving us access to a late-stage clinical candidate, NeuVax. In connection with our acquisition of Apthera, we reduced the scope of our RNAi activities to focus primarily on RXI-109, our lead RNAi-product, while maintaining our key development alliances and core RNAi discovery and development capability. Following the Apthera acquisition, our board of directors undertook to explore strategic alternatives for our RNAi platform that would enable us to commit more resources to our later-stage oncology drug programs. On September 26, 2011, the Company changed its name from RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation to Galena Biopharma, Inc. in connection with the Company’s planned separation into two companies: (i) Galena, which will operate as a late-stage oncology drug development company; and (ii) RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, or RXi, which will continue to develop novel RNAi-based therapies utilizing our historical RNAi assets. RXi was initially incorporated as RNCS, Inc. and assumed the name RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation in conjunction with the change in the Company’s name to Galena. As the Company has not generated any revenue from inception through December 31, 2011, the Company is considered a development-stage company for accounting purposes. The Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $11.4 million as of December 31, 2011. On February 17, 2012, the Company entered into a Controlled Equity Offering^SM sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell from time to time through Cantor, acting as agent, shares of our common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $10 million. The offer and sale of our shares through Cantor will be registered pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-167025) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 21, 2010. The offering pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate upon the sale of all shares subject to the sales agreement or the earlier termination of the sales agreement as permitted therein. There is no assurance that additional funding will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all. The Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents should be sufficient to fund its operations through at least the first quarter of 2013. The Company has not generated revenue to date and may not generate product revenue in the foreseeable future, if ever. The Company expects to incur significant operating losses as it advances its product candidates through the drug development and regulatory process. The Company expects to continue to devote a substantial portion of its resources to research and development programs. As a result of the costs expected to be incurred in connection with our recently commenced clinical trials of NeuVax and FBP, the Company expects that their research and development expense will increase significantly from historic levels for the foreseeable future. The Company will need to generate significant revenue to achieve profitability and might never do so. In the absence of product revenue, our potential sources of operational funding are expected to be the proceeds from equity financings, funded research and development payments and payments received under partnership and collaborative agreements. There is no guarantee that additional funding will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all. If the Company fails to obtain additional funding when needed, it would be forced to scale back or terminate operations or to seek to merge with or to be acquired by another company.

Nature of Business

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

1. Nature of Business

Galena Biopharma Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our,” “Galena” or the “Company”) is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative therapies addressing major unmet medical needs using targeted biotherapeutics. Galena is pursuing the development of novel cancer therapeutics using peptide-based immunotherapy products, including our main product candidate, NeuVax (E75), for the treatment of various cancers.

The Company was incorporated as Argonaut Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in Delaware, on April 3, 2006. The Company changed its name to RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation on November 28, 2006.

We acquired Apthera and our NeuVax product candidate in April 2011. Prior to that time, we were engaged primarily in conducting discovery research and preclinical development activities based on RNAi. Our acquisition of Apthera followed from the determination by our board of directors to broaden our strategic direction by giving us access to a late-stage clinical candidate, NeuVax. In connection with our acquisition of Apthera, we reduced the scope of our RNAi activities to focus primarily on RXI-109, our lead RNAi-product, while maintaining our key development alliances and core RNAi discovery and development capability. Following the Apthera acquisition, our board of directors undertook to explore strategic alternatives for our RNAi platform that would enable us to commit more resources to our later-stage oncology drug programs.

On September 26, 2011, the Company changed its name from RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation to Galena Biopharma, Inc. in connection with the Company’s planned separation into two companies: (i) Galena, which will operate as a late-stage oncology drug development company; and (ii) RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, or RXi, which will continue to develop novel RNAi-based therapies utilizing our historical RNAi assets. RXi was initially incorporated as RNCS, Inc. and assumed the name RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation in conjunction with the change in the Company’s name to Galena.

As the Company has not generated any revenue from inception through December 31, 2011, the Company is considered a development-stage company for accounting purposes.

The Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $11.4 million as of December 31, 2011. On February 17, 2012, the Company entered into a Controlled Equity Offering^SM sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell from time to time through Cantor, acting as agent, shares of our common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $10 million. The offer and sale of our shares through Cantor will be registered pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-167025) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 21, 2010. The offering pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate upon the sale of all shares subject to the sales agreement or the earlier termination of the sales agreement as permitted therein. There is no assurance that additional funding will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all.

The Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents should be sufficient to fund its operations through at least the first quarter of 2013.

The Company has not generated revenue to date and may not generate product revenue in the foreseeable future, if ever. The Company expects to incur significant operating losses as it advances its product candidates through the drug development and regulatory process. The Company expects to continue to devote a substantial portion of its resources to research and development programs. As a result of the costs expected to be incurred in connection with our recently commenced clinical trials of NeuVax and FBP, the Company expects that their research and development expense will increase significantly from historic levels for the foreseeable future. The Company will need to generate significant revenue to achieve profitability and might never do so. In the absence of product revenue, our potential sources of operational funding are expected to be the proceeds from equity financings, funded research and development payments and payments received under partnership and collaborative agreements. There is no guarantee that additional funding will be available to the Company on acceptable terms, or at all. If the Company fails to obtain additional funding when needed, it would be forced to scale back or terminate operations or to seek to merge with or to be acquired by another company.