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Commitments and Contingencies
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
11.   Commitments and Contingencies

We have entered into agreements with various research organizations for pre-clinical and clinical development studies, which have provisions for cancellation. Under the terms of these agreements, the vendors provide a variety of services including conducting research, recruiting and enrolling patients, monitoring studies and data analysis. Payments under these agreements typically include fees for services and reimbursement of expenses. The timing of payments due under these agreements was estimated based on current schedules of pre-clinical and clinical studies in progress.  As of September 30, 2012, we have pre-clinical research study obligations of $23,000 (which are expected to be fully completed within a year) and clinical research study obligations of $11,600,000 ($3,700,000 of which are expected to be completed within a year).  Should the timing or the budgets of the pre-clinical and clinical trials change, the timing and amounts of the payments for these obligations would also change.

During 2008, we entered into a supply agreement with a minimum purchase requirements clause.  As of September 30, 2012, we have minimum purchase obligations of $2,191,000 ($1,341,000 of which are expected to be paid within a year).

We have entered into several lease agreements for our headquarters office location as well as international office locations and corporate housing for our employees on international assignments. As of September 30, 2012, we have remaining lease obligations of $9,486,000 ($1,986,000 of which are expected to be completed within a year).

We are subject to various claims and contingencies related to legal proceedings.  Due to their nature, such legal proceedings involve inherent uncertainties including, but not limited to, court rulings, negotiations between affected parties and governmental actions.  Management assesses the probability of loss for such contingencies and accrues a liability and/or discloses the relevant circumstances, as appropriate.  When evaluating contingencies, we may be unable to provide a meaningful estimate due to a number of factors, including the procedural status of the matter in question, the presence of complex or novel legal theories, and/or the ongoing discovery and development of information important to the matters.  In addition, damage amounts claimed in litigation against us may be unsupported, exaggerated or unrelated to possible outcomes, and as such are not meaningful indicators of our potential liability. We regularly review contingencies to determine the adequacy of our accruals and related disclosures. The amount of ultimate loss may differ from these estimates, and it is possible that cash flows or results of operations could be materially affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these contingencies.  Whether any losses finally determined in any claim, action, investigation or proceeding could reasonably have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows will depend on a number of variables, including: the timing and amount of such losses; the structure and type of any remedies; the significance of the impact any such losses, damages or remedies may have on our consolidated financial statements; and the unique facts and circumstances of the particular matter that may give rise to additional factors.  Management believes that any liability to us that may arise as a result of currently pending legal proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity, or results of operations as a whole.

Refer to note 6 for a discussion of our commitments and contingencies related to our long-term obligations.

Refer to note 12 for a discussion of our commitments and contingencies related to our transactions with Olympus, including (a) our obligation to the Joint Venture in future periods and (b) certain put and call rights embedded in the arrangements with Olympus.