Subsequent Events	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	Subsequent Events In October 2012 warrant holders from the March 2012 Offering exercised an aggregate of 690,311 warrants at an exercise price of $.51 per share for an aggregate consideration of approximately $352,000. As an inducement to exercise, we agreed to pay certain warrant holders $.03 per share for each warrant exercised. The Company's mergers and acquisitions and finance committees of the board of directors authorized the exercise inducement on July 23, 2012. On October 10, 2012, a warrant holder exercised its warrants to purchase 225,000 shares of common stock at $1.45, for gross proceeds to the Company of $326,250. Since the exercise prices of the warrants were above the Company's stock price, the Company agreed to pay the holder an inducement fee equal to the difference between the per share exercise price and $.72 (one penny above the closing market price on the date the agreement was signed). The Company's board of directors authorized the exercise inducement on October 8, 2012. On October 25, 2012, the Company completed the redemption of all 2,351,558 outstanding shares of its Series E 7% Senior Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series E Preferred Stock”), for an aggregate cash redemption price of approximately $3.4 million, $2.5 million of which was funded by money placed into escrow when the Series E Preferred stock was issued in November 2010. Also on October 25, 2012, the Company filed a Certificate of Elimination of the Series E 7% Senior Convertible Preferred Stock of NeoStem, Inc. with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to eliminate its Series E Preferred Stock, all of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock having been redeemed by the Company. The Company entered into a Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC in September 2011, as amended on August 23, 2012, pursuant to which Aspire Capital committed to the purchase of up to $20 million of shares of the Company’s Common Stock over the term of that Agreement, subject to certain terms and conditions, including a floor price as set forth in the Agreement. From October 22, 2012 through November 12, 2012, Aspire has purchased 2,300,000 shares of the Company's common stock for an aggregate consideration of approximately $1.5 million. On November 8, 2012, the Company consummated a private placement and issued an aggregate of 833,333 shares of restricted common stock at a purchase price of $.60 per share for an aggregate consideration of $500,000. The Company's board of directors authorized the the terms of the private placement on October 8, 2012. On November 13, 2012 (the “Closing Date”), the Company completed the divestiture (the “Erye Sale”) of our 51% interest (the “Erye Interest”) in Suzhou Erye Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd., a Sino-foreign equity joint venture with limited liability organized under the laws of the People's Republic of China primarily engaged in the manufacture of generic antibiotics (“Erye”), to Suzhou Erye Economy & Trading Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized under the laws of the People's Republic of China (“EET”), and Highacheive Holdings Limited, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“Highacheive” and together with EET, each a “Purchaser” and collectively the “Purchasers”). The Erye Sale was consummated pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 18, 2012 (as amended, the “Equity Purchase Agreement”), by and among our Company, China Biopharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of NeoStem (“CBH”), EET, Highacheive, Fullbright Finance Limited, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“Fullbright”), and Erye. Pursuant to the Equity Purchase Agreement, the aggregate purchase price paid to us by the Purchasers for the Erye Interest consisted of (i) $12,280,000 in cash, (ii) the return to our Company of 1,040,000 shares of NeoStem common stock and (iii) the cancellation of 1,170,000 options and 640,000 warrants. On the Closing Date, the balance of the amount held in escrow, was released to the Company, the common stock was delivered to the Company, the options and warrants were canceled, and all interest of the Company in Erye was transferred to the Purchasers. On November 13, 2012, the Company entered into an amendment of its employment agreement with Dr. Robin L. Smith, pursuant to which, as previously amended (the “Agreement”), Dr. Smith serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Pursuant to the amendment, (i) the term of the Agreement was extended for two years to December 31, 2014; (ii) Dr. Smith's annual base salary was increased to $495,000; (iii) Dr. Smith will be eligible to receive a cash bonus for each of 2013 and 2014, based on a target amount of 50% of annual base salary assuming good progress toward the accomplishment of objectives set for Dr. Smith and the Company by the Compensation Committee, and which may be awarded in an amount up to 100% of annual base salary for extraordinary performance, all as determined by the Compensation Committee; (iv) all unvested options held by Dr. Smith as of the date of the amendment were immediately vested; (v) a failure to renew the Agreement at the end of the term regardless of reason shall be treated as a termination by the Company without cause; (vi) upon the Company's termination of Dr. Smith's employment without cause or by Dr. Smith with good reason, (a) the Company is to pay Dr. Smith her base salary and COBRA premiums for one year following the termination plus the previous year's annual bonus payment, and (b) all of Dr. Smith's stock options which are vested as of the termination date plus any additional options that would have vested by the passage of time during the 12 month period following such date (which additional options shall become immediately and fully vested as of the termination date) shall remain exercisable for the balance of their 10 year term; (vii) in the event the Company terminates Dr. Smith's employment with cause or Dr. Smith resigns, the Company is to pay Dr. Smith her then current base salary and COBRA premiums for one year; and (viii) any vested options previously or hereafter granted to Dr. Smith during the remainder of the term shall remain exercisable notwithstanding any termination of employment for the full option term until the expiration date.

Subsequent Events

In October 2012 warrant holders from the March 2012 Offering exercised an aggregate of 690,311 warrants at an exercise price of $.51 per share for an aggregate consideration of approximately $352,000. As an inducement to exercise, we agreed to pay certain warrant holders $.03 per share for each warrant exercised. The Company's mergers and acquisitions and finance committees of the board of directors authorized the exercise inducement on July 23, 2012.

On October 10, 2012, a warrant holder exercised its warrants to purchase 225,000 shares of common stock at $1.45, for gross proceeds to the Company of $326,250. Since the exercise prices of the warrants were above the Company's stock price, the Company agreed to pay the holder an inducement fee equal to the difference between the per share exercise price and $.72 (one penny above the closing market price on the date the agreement was signed). The Company's board of directors authorized the exercise inducement on October 8, 2012.

On October 25, 2012, the Company completed the redemption of all 2,351,558 outstanding shares of its Series E 7% Senior Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series E Preferred Stock”), for an aggregate cash redemption price of approximately $3.4 million, $2.5 million of which was funded by money placed into escrow when the Series E Preferred stock was issued in November 2010. Also on October 25, 2012, the Company filed a Certificate of Elimination of the Series E 7% Senior Convertible Preferred Stock of NeoStem, Inc. with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to eliminate its Series E Preferred Stock, all of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock having been redeemed by the Company.

The Company entered into a Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC in September 2011, as amended on August 23, 2012, pursuant to which Aspire Capital committed to the purchase of up to $20 million of shares of the Company’s Common Stock over the term of that Agreement, subject to certain terms and conditions, including a floor price as set forth in the Agreement. From October 22, 2012 through November 12, 2012, Aspire has purchased 2,300,000 shares of the Company's common stock for an aggregate consideration of approximately $1.5 million.

On November 8, 2012, the Company consummated a private placement and issued an aggregate of 833,333 shares of restricted common stock at a purchase price of $.60 per share for an aggregate consideration of $500,000. The Company's board of directors authorized the the terms of the private placement on October 8, 2012.

On November 13, 2012 (the “Closing Date”), the Company completed the divestiture (the “Erye Sale”) of our 51% interest (the “Erye Interest”) in Suzhou Erye Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd., a Sino-foreign equity joint venture with limited liability organized under the laws of the People's Republic of China primarily engaged in the manufacture of generic antibiotics (“Erye”), to Suzhou Erye Economy & Trading Co., Ltd., a limited liability company organized under the laws of the People's Republic of China (“EET”), and Highacheive Holdings Limited, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“Highacheive” and together with EET, each a “Purchaser” and collectively the “Purchasers”). The Erye Sale was consummated pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 18, 2012 (as amended, the “Equity Purchase Agreement”), by and among our Company, China Biopharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of NeoStem (“CBH”), EET, Highacheive, Fullbright Finance Limited, a limited liability company organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“Fullbright”), and Erye. Pursuant to the Equity Purchase Agreement, the aggregate purchase price paid to us by the Purchasers for the Erye Interest consisted of (i) $12,280,000 in cash, (ii) the return to our Company of 1,040,000 shares of NeoStem common stock and (iii) the cancellation of 1,170,000 options and 640,000 warrants. On the Closing Date, the balance of the amount held in escrow, was released to the Company, the common stock was delivered to the Company, the options and warrants were canceled, and all interest of the Company in Erye was transferred to the Purchasers.

On November 13, 2012, the Company entered into an amendment of its employment agreement with Dr. Robin L. Smith, pursuant to which, as previously amended (the “Agreement”), Dr. Smith serves as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Pursuant to the amendment, (i) the term of the Agreement was extended for two years to December 31, 2014; (ii) Dr. Smith's annual base salary was increased to $495,000; (iii) Dr. Smith will be eligible to receive a cash bonus for each of 2013 and 2014, based on a target amount of 50% of annual base salary assuming good progress toward the accomplishment of objectives set for Dr. Smith and the Company by the Compensation Committee, and which may be awarded in an amount up to 100% of annual base salary for extraordinary performance, all as determined by the Compensation Committee; (iv) all unvested options held by Dr. Smith as of the date of the amendment were immediately vested; (v) a failure to renew the Agreement at the end of the term regardless of reason shall be treated as a termination by the Company without cause; (vi) upon the Company's termination of Dr. Smith's employment without cause or by Dr. Smith with good reason, (a) the Company is to pay Dr. Smith her base salary and COBRA premiums for one year following the termination plus the previous year's annual bonus payment, and (b) all of Dr. Smith's stock options which are vested as of the termination date plus any additional options that would have vested by the passage of time during the 12 month period following such date (which additional options shall become immediately and fully vested as of the termination date) shall remain exercisable for the balance of their 10 year term; (vii) in the event the Company terminates Dr. Smith's employment with cause or Dr. Smith resigns, the Company is to pay Dr. Smith her then current base salary and COBRA premiums for one year; and (viii) any vested options previously or hereafter granted to Dr. Smith during the remainder of the term shall remain exercisable notwithstanding any termination of employment for the full option term until the expiration date.