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Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Sep. 30, 2014	Oct. 31, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	EVOK
Entity Registrant Name	Evoke Pharma Inc
Entity Central Index Key	0001403708
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		6,112,091

Condensed Balance Sheets - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 12,176,682	$ 24,196,691
Prepaid expenses	1,131,685	234,262
Total current assets	13,308,367	24,430,953
Other assets	82,553	555,505
Total assets	13,390,920	24,986,458
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	1,049,369	284,915
Accrued compensation	636,098	557,399
Current portion of long-term debt		1,442,592
Total current liabilities	1,685,467	2,284,906
Deferred rent expense	14,714	6,830
Long-term debt, net of current portion		1,511,461
Total liabilities	1,700,181	3,803,197
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; authorized shares — 50,000,000; issued and outstanding shares — 6,112,091 at September 30, 2014 and 6,096,752 at December 31, 2013	611	610
Additional paid-in capital	44,709,474	43,874,119
Accumulated deficit	(33,019,346)	(22,691,468)
Total stockholders' equity	11,690,739	21,183,261
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 13,390,920	$ 24,986,458

Condensed Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Common stock, par value	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Common stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	6,112,091	6,096,752
Common stock, shares outstanding	6,112,091	6,096,752

Condensed Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Operating expenses:
Research and development	$ 3,088,373	$ 78,731	$ 7,815,466	$ 320,558
General and administrative	732,800	406,862	2,420,167	700,489
Total operating expenses	3,821,173	485,593	10,235,633	1,021,047
Loss from operations	(3,821,173)	(485,593)	(10,235,633)	(1,021,047)
Other income (expense):
Interest income	1,725	629	8,995	2,850
Interest expense	(5,906)	(39,940)	(101,240)	(119,570)
Change in fair value of warrant liability		39,000		(82,000)
Total other income (expense)	(4,181)	(311)	(92,245)	(198,720)
Net loss and comprehensive loss	$ (3,825,354)	$ (485,904)	$ (10,327,878)	$ (1,219,767)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted	$ (0.63)	$ (0.41)	$ (1.71)	$ (1.06)
Weighted-average shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per share	6,054,250	1,190,212	6,028,309	1,153,751

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Operating activities
Net loss	$ (10,327,878)	$ (1,219,767)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Stock-based compensation expense	792,481	13,881
Non-cash interest	54,076	17,446
Change in fair value of warrant liability		82,000
Deferred rent expense	7,884
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses	(349,915)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	843,153	(44,562)
Net cash used in operating activities	(8,980,199)	(1,151,002)
Financing activities
Proceeds from bank line of credit and loan advances		2,000,000
Payments on bank line of credit	(3,000,000)
Costs paid in connection with loan origination	(82,685)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	42,875	25,200,000
Costs paid in connection with initial public offering		(2,426,958)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(3,039,810)	24,773,042
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(12,020,009)	23,622,040
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period	24,196,691	116,013
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period	12,176,682	23,738,053
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information
Interest paid	$ 58,790	$ 94,750
Supplemental disclosures of non-cash financing information
Issuance of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock warrants		49,000

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying interim condensed financial statements are unaudited. These unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and following the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by GAAP can be condensed or omitted. In management’s opinion, the unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements and include all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and its results of operations and comprehensive loss and its cash flows for the periods presented. These statements do not include all disclosures required by GAAP and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which is contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2014. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full fiscal year or any other interim period.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation expense for stock option grants and employee stock purchase plan shares is recorded at the estimated fair value of the award as of the grant date and is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the stock-based award. The estimation of stock option and employee stock purchase plan fair value requires management to make estimates and judgments about, among other things, employee exercise behavior, forfeiture rates and volatility of the Company’s common stock. The judgments directly affect the amount of compensation expense that will be recognized.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and primarily include compensation and related benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and costs paid to third-party contractors to perform research, conduct clinical trials and develop drug materials and delivery devices. The Company expenses costs relating to the purchase and production of pre-approval product inventories as research and development expense in the period incurred until U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval is received.

The Company bases its expense accruals related to clinical studies on estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple research institutions and clinical research organizations that conduct and manage clinical studies on its behalf. The financial terms of these agreements vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors, such as the successful enrollment of patients, site initiation and the completion of clinical study milestones. Service providers typically invoice the Company monthly in arrears for services performed. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the Company does not identify costs that have begun to be incurred, or if the Company underestimates or overestimates the level of services performed or the costs of these services, actual expenses could differ from estimates. To date, the Company has not experienced significant changes in estimates of accrued research and development expenses after a reporting period. However, due to the nature of estimates, no assurance can be made that changes to the estimates will not be made in the future as the Company becomes aware of additional information about the status or conduct of clinical studies and other research activities.

The Company does not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of EVK-001, nor does it plan to develop its own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future. The Company currently depends on third-party contract manufacturers for all of its required raw materials, drug substance and finished product for its pre-clinical research and clinical trials. The Company does not have any current contractual relationships for the manufacture of commercial supplies of EVK-001. If EVK-001 is approved by any regulatory agency, the Company intends to enter into agreements with third-party contract manufacturers for the commercial production at that time. The Company currently utilizes a third-party consultant, which it engages on an as-needed, hourly basis, to manage its manufacturing contractors.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents and adjusted for the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding that are subject to repurchase. The Company has excluded 49,375, 71,875, 101,875, and 105,625 weighted-average shares subject to repurchase from the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Diluted net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common share equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury-stock method. Dilutive common stock equivalents are comprised of warrants for the purchase of common stock, options outstanding under the Company’s equity incentive plans and potential shares to be purchased under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan. For the periods presented, there is no difference in the number of shares used to calculate basic and diluted shares outstanding due to the Company’s net loss position.

The following table sets forth the outstanding potentially dilutive securities that have been excluded in the calculation of diluted net loss per share because to do so would be anti-dilutive:

	Three and Nine Months Ended
	September 30,
	2014		2013
Warrants to purchase common stock		96,000		106,000
Common stock options		683,500		231,250
Employee stock purchase plan		3,161	—
		782,661		337,250

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), issued an Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-10, Development Stage Entities (Topic 915): Elimination of Certain Financial Reporting Requirements, Including an Amendment to Variable Interest Entities Guidance in Topic 810, Consolidation. This guidance removes the definition of a development stage entity from FASB’s accounting standards codification, thereby removing the financial reporting distinction between development stage entities and other reporting entities from U.S. GAAP. In addition, the guidance eliminates the requirements for development stage entities to (1) present inception-to-date information in the statements of income, cash flows and shareholder equity, (2) label the financial statements as those of a development stage entity, (3) disclose a description of the development stage activities in which the entity is engaged, and (4) disclose in the first year in which the entity is no longer a development stage entity that in prior years it had been in the development stage. The guidance becomes effective in the first annual period beginning after December 15, 2014, with an option for early adoption. The Company chose to early adopt this standard during the quarter ended June 30, 2014.

In August 2014, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance related to the evaluation of an entity to continue as a going concern. The amendment establishes management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period. The amendment also gives guidance to determine whether to disclose information about relevant conditions and events when there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The amended guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The new guidance will not have an impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Debt	9 Months Ended
Debt	Sep. 30, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	3. Debt In June 2012, the Company entered into a $3 million loan and security agreement with Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”), collateralized by the Company’s personal property. The agreement also contained non-financial covenants. By January 2013, the Company had been advanced the entire $3 million. Interest on advances under the agreement was at a fixed interest rate equal to 4.50%. Advances under the loan and security agreement had an interest-only period through December 31, 2013, and had a 24-month payback period that commenced in January 2014. On May 23, 2014, the Company repaid the outstanding principal and accrued interest of approximately $2.4 million to SVB. With such payoff, the SVB loan agreement and the documents entered into in connection therewith were deemed to be terminated. SVB’s security interest in substantially all of the Company’s assets was also terminated. On May 28, 2014 (the “closing date”), the Company entered into a loan and security agreement (the “credit facility”) with Square 1 Bank (“Square 1”), pursuant to which Square 1 agreed to make term loans available to the Company for general corporate and working capital purposes and for capital expenditures, in a principal amount of up to $4.5 million. The Company did not draw from the credit facility on the closing date, and has not drawn any funds as of the date of this report. The term loans will be funded at the Company’s request prior to November 28, 2015, subject to customary conditions for funding including, among others, that no event of default exists. The Company may not request more than four term loans during the term of the credit facility. The credit facility is secured by substantially all of the Company’s personal property other than its intellectual property. Each term loan under the credit facility bears interest at either (A) a variable annual rate equal to the greater of (1) 1.75% above Square 1’s most recently announced prime rate, or (2) 5.00%, or (B) a fixed annual rate of 5.50%, such rate to be fixed at the time of the initial borrowing at the Company’s election and shall be applicable to all term loans funded under the credit facility. The Company is required to make interest-only payments through November 28, 2015 on any term loans that it draws. All outstanding term loans under the credit facility will begin amortizing at the end of the interest-only period, with monthly payments of principal and interest being made by the Company to Square 1 in consecutive monthly installments following November 28, 2015. All term loans under the credit facility mature on November 28, 2017. At the Company’s option, it may prepay the outstanding principal balance of the term loans before November 28, 2017 without penalty or premium. The credit facility includes affirmative and negative covenants applicable to the Company and any subsidiaries it creates in the future. The affirmative covenants include, among others, covenants requiring the Company to maintain its legal existence and governmental approvals, deliver certain financial reports, maintain insurance coverage and meet certain covenants with respect to enrollment and results of its EVK-001 Phase 3 trial (METO-IN-003). After the Company receives positive results from the Phase 3 trial, if at all (which the Company must achieve on or prior to September 30, 2015), it must either maintain a ratio of its cash at Square 1 to its cash burn over the preceding month of at least 3.00 to 1.00, or it must deliver evidence of a forthcoming financing or strategic partnership arrangement to Square 1, in each case in an amount satisfactory to Square 1. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on the Company’s transferring collateral, incurring additional indebtedness, engaging in mergers or acquisitions, paying dividends or making other distributions, making investments, creating liens and selling assets, in each case subject to certain exceptions. The credit facility also includes events of default, the occurrence and continuation of which provide Square 1 with the right to exercise remedies against the Company and the collateral securing the term loans under the credit facility, including foreclosure against the Company’s properties securing the credit facilities, including its cash. These events of default include, among other things, the Company’s failure to pay any amounts due under the credit facility, a breach of covenants under the credit facility, the Company’s insolvency, a material adverse change, the occurrence of any default under certain other indebtedness in an amount greater than $400,000 and a final judgment against the Company in an amount greater than $400,000. In connection with each funding of the term loans, the Company will issue to Square 1 a warrant to purchase up to the number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to (A) 3% of the principal amount of the applicable term loan credit extension over (B) the initial exercise price, which shall be the closing price of the common stock on the day of such funding. The warrants will expire ten years from each date of issuance. If a warrant has not been exercised prior to its expiration date, it will be deemed to automatically convert by “cashless” conversion. In the event that the Company is acquired, the warrants will be exercisable or deemed automatically converted, which shall be determined based upon whether the Company’s successor assumes the obligations of the warrant. The Company incurred approximately $83,000 of loan origination costs related to this credit facility. Such costs have been capitalized and are being amortized over the 42 month term of the credit facility.

Acquisition of Technology

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisition of Technology

4. Acquisition of Technology

In June 2007, the Company purchased from Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Questcor”) all rights and patents to a development program for the Company’s EVK-001 product candidate for an upfront payment of $650,000, which was expensed as in-process research and development. In May 2014, the Company paid a milestone payment of $500,000 to Questcor based upon the initiation of the first patient dosing in its Phase 3 clinical trial for EVK-001. In August 2014, Mallinckrodt plc, or Mallinckrodt, acquired Questcor. As a result of that acquisition, Questcor transferred its rights included in the Asset Purchase Agreement with the Company to Mallinckrodt. In addition to the payments made to Questcor, the Company may be required to make additional milestone payments to Mallinckrodt totaling up to $51.5 million. These milestones include up to $4.5 million in payments if EVK-001 achieves the following development targets:

—	$1.5 million upon the FDA’s acceptance for review of a new drug application for EVK-001; and

—	$3 million upon the FDA’s approval of EVK-001.

The remaining $47 million in milestone payments depend on EVK-001’s commercial success and will only apply if EVK-001 receives regulatory approval. In addition, the Company will be required to pay Mallinckrodt a low single digit royalty on net sales of EVK-001. The Company’s obligation to pay such royalties will terminate upon the expiration of the last patent right covering EVK-001, which is expected to occur in 2030.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for a business combination (or series of individually immaterial business combinations) completed during the period, including background, timing, and recognized assets and liabilities. The disclosure may include leverage buyout transactions (as applicable).

+ References

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+ Details

Stockholders' Equity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity

5. Stockholders’ Equity

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation expense includes charges related to stock option grants and employee stock purchases under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan. The Company measures stock-based compensation expense based on the grant-date fair value of any awards granted to its employees. Such expense is recognized over the period of time that employees provide service and earn rights to the awards.

The estimated fair value of each stock option award granted was determined on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing valuation model with the following weighted-average assumptions for option grants during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014.

	Three Months Ended			Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			September 30,
	2014	2013		2014		2013
Common Stock Options
Risk free interest rate	—		1.75%	1.66-1.77%			1.75%
Expected option term	—	6 years		5.5-6.0 years		6 years
Expected volatility of common stock	—		70.8%	71.06-73.21%			70.8%
Expected dividend yield	—		0.00%		0.00%		0.00%

The estimated fair value of each employee stock purchase plan award was determined on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing valuation model with the following weighted-average assumptions for the employee stock purchase plan during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014. The employee stock purchase plan did not become active until March 2014.

	Three Months Ended			Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			September 30,
	2014		2013	2014		2013
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Risk free interest rate		0.05%	—	0.05-0.08%		—
Expected option term	6 months		—	6 months		—
Expected volatility of common stock		69.32%	—	69.32-73.21%		—
Expected dividend yield		0.00%	—		0.00%	—

The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the yield of an applicable rate for U.S. Treasury instruments with maturities similar to those of the expected term of the award being valued. The assumed dividend yield was based on the Company never paying cash dividends and having no expectation of paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The weighted average expected term of options and employee stock purchases was calculated using the simplified method as prescribed by accounting guidance for stock-based compensation. This decision was based on the lack of relevant historical data due to the Company’s limited historical experience. In addition, due to the Company’s limited historical data, the estimated volatility was calculated based upon the Company’s historical volatility, supplemented with historical volatility of comparable companies in the biotechnology industry whose share prices are publicly available for a sufficient period of time.

The Company recognized non-cash stock-based compensation expense to employees and directors in its research and development and its general and administrative functions as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2014		2013		2014		2013
Research and development	$	105,145	$	313		302,569	$	4,377
General and administrative		198,816		7,316		489,912		9,504
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	303,961	$	7,629		792,481	$	13,881

As of September 30, 2014, there was approximately $2.6 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to outstanding employee and board of director options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.4 years.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Unaudited Interim Financial Information	The accompanying interim condensed financial statements are unaudited. These unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and following the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by GAAP can be condensed or omitted. In management’s opinion, the unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements and include all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and its results of operations and comprehensive loss and its cash flows for the periods presented. These statements do not include all disclosures required by GAAP and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, which is contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2014. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full fiscal year or any other interim period.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation expense for stock option grants and employee stock purchase plan shares is recorded at the estimated fair value of the award as of the grant date and is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the stock-based award. The estimation of stock option and employee stock purchase plan fair value requires management to make estimates and judgments about, among other things, employee exercise behavior, forfeiture rates and volatility of the Company’s common stock. The judgments directly affect the amount of compensation expense that will be recognized.
Research and Development Expenses	Research and Development Expenses Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and primarily include compensation and related benefits, stock-based compensation expense, and costs paid to third-party contractors to perform research, conduct clinical trials and develop drug materials and delivery devices. The Company expenses costs relating to the purchase and production of pre-approval product inventories as research and development expense in the period incurred until U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval is received. The Company bases its expense accruals related to clinical studies on estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to contracts with multiple research institutions and clinical research organizations that conduct and manage clinical studies on its behalf. The financial terms of these agreements vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors, such as the successful enrollment of patients, site initiation and the completion of clinical study milestones. Service providers typically invoice the Company monthly in arrears for services performed. In accruing service fees, the Company estimates the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the Company does not identify costs that have begun to be incurred, or if the Company underestimates or overestimates the level of services performed or the costs of these services, actual expenses could differ from estimates. To date, the Company has not experienced significant changes in estimates of accrued research and development expenses after a reporting period. However, due to the nature of estimates, no assurance can be made that changes to the estimates will not be made in the future as the Company becomes aware of additional information about the status or conduct of clinical studies and other research activities. The Company does not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of EVK-001, nor does it plan to develop its own manufacturing operations in the foreseeable future. The Company currently depends on third-party contract manufacturers for all of its required raw materials, drug substance and finished product for its pre-clinical research and clinical trials. The Company does not have any current contractual relationships for the manufacture of commercial supplies of EVK-001. If EVK-001 is approved by any regulatory agency, the Company intends to enter into agreements with third-party contract manufacturers for the commercial production at that time. The Company currently utilizes a third-party consultant, which it engages on an as-needed, hourly basis, to manage its manufacturing contractors.
Net Loss Per Share	Net Loss Per Share Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents and adjusted for the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding that are subject to repurchase. The Company has excluded 49,375, 71,875, 101,875, and 105,625 weighted-average shares subject to repurchase from the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Diluted net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common share equivalents outstanding for the period determined using the treasury-stock method. Dilutive common stock equivalents are comprised of warrants for the purchase of common stock, options outstanding under the Company’s equity incentive plans and potential shares to be purchased under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan. For the periods presented, there is no difference in the number of shares used to calculate basic and diluted shares outstanding due to the Company’s net loss position.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In June 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), issued an Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-10, Development Stage Entities (Topic 915): Elimination of Certain Financial Reporting Requirements, Including an Amendment to Variable Interest Entities Guidance in Topic 810, Consolidation. This guidance removes the definition of a development stage entity from FASB’s accounting standards codification, thereby removing the financial reporting distinction between development stage entities and other reporting entities from U.S. GAAP. In addition, the guidance eliminates the requirements for development stage entities to (1) present inception-to-date information in the statements of income, cash flows and shareholder equity, (2) label the financial statements as those of a development stage entity, (3) disclose a description of the development stage activities in which the entity is engaged, and (4) disclose in the first year in which the entity is no longer a development stage entity that in prior years it had been in the development stage. The guidance becomes effective in the first annual period beginning after December 15, 2014, with an option for early adoption. The Company chose to early adopt this standard during the quarter ended June 30, 2014. In August 2014, the FASB issued an amendment to the accounting guidance related to the evaluation of an entity to continue as a going concern. The amendment establishes management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern in connection with preparing financial statements for each annual and interim reporting period. The amendment also gives guidance to determine whether to disclose information about relevant conditions and events when there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The amended guidance is effective prospectively for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The new guidance will not have an impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]

Summary of Estimated Fair Value of Stock Option Award

	Three Months Ended			Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			September 30,
	2014	2013		2014		2013
Common Stock Options
Risk free interest rate	—		1.75%	1.66-1.77%			1.75%
Expected option term	—	6 years		5.5-6.0 years		6 years
Expected volatility of common stock	—		70.8%	71.06-73.21%			70.8%
Expected dividend yield	—		0.00%		0.00%		0.00%

Summary of Estimated Fair Value of Employee Stock Purchase Plan Award

	Three Months Ended			Nine Months Ended
	September 30,			September 30,
	2014		2013	2014		2013
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Risk free interest rate		0.05%	—	0.05-0.08%		—
Expected option term	6 months		—	6 months		—
Expected volatility of common stock		69.32%	—	69.32-73.21%		—
Expected dividend yield		0.00%	—		0.00%	—

Summary of Recognized Non-Cash Stock-Based Compensation Expense

The Company recognized non-cash stock-based compensation expense to employees and directors in its research and development and its general and administrative functions as follows:

	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2014		2013		2014		2013
Research and development	$	105,145	$	313		302,569	$	4,377
General and administrative		198,816		7,316		489,912		9,504
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	303,961	$	7,629		792,481	$	13,881

Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	May 23, 2014	Jun. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2014	May 28, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013
Silicon Valley Bank [Member] \| Loan and security agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan and security agreement, maximum credit capacity		$ 3,000,000
Loan and security agreement, interest rate		4.50%
Loan and security agreement, payback period		24 months
Loan and security agreement, amount drawn					$ 3,000,000
Repayment of principal and accrued interest	$ 2,400,000
Square 1 Bank [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash burn under credit facility			3.00
Square 1 Bank [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash burn under credit facility			1.00
Square 1 Bank [Member] \| Loan and security agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loan and security agreement, available credit				$ 4,500,000
Other interest rate,			5.00%
Fixed interest rate			5.50%
Loan and security agreement, amount of other indebtedness			$ 400,000
Issuance of Warrant to purchase common stock			3.00%
Line of credit facility, loan origination cost			$ 83,000
Loan and security agreement, Amortization period			42 months
Square 1 Bank [Member] \| Loan and security agreement [Member] \| Warrant [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Warrant expiration period			10 years
Square 1 Bank [Member] \| Loan and security agreement [Member] \| Prime Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Variable interest rate, prime rate plus			1.75%

Acquisition of Technology - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2007	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Payment expensed as in-process research and development		$ 650,000
General research and development expense			$ 3,088,373	$ 78,731	$ 7,815,466	$ 320,558
Mallinckrodt [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Milestone payments			51,500,000		$ 51,500,000
Development Target One [Member] \| Questcor [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
General research and development expense	$ 500,000
Development targets description					Upon the initiation of the first patient dosing in its Phase 3 clinical trial for EVK-001
Development Target One, Two and Three [Member] \| Mallinckrodt [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Milestone payments, pegged to development targets			4,500,000		$ 4,500,000
Development Target Two [Member] \| Mallinckrodt [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Development targets description					Upon the FDA’s acceptance for review of a new drug application for EVK-001
Milestone payments, pegged to development targets			1,500,000		$ 1,500,000
Development Target Three [Member] \| Mallinckrodt [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Development targets description					Upon the FDA’s approval of EVK-001
Milestone payments, pegged to development targets			3,000,000		$ 3,000,000
Development Target Four [Member] \| Mallinckrodt [Member] \| Patents [Member]
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration [Line Items]
Development targets description					Depend on EVK-001’s commercial success and will only apply if EVK-001 receives regulatory approval. In addition, the Company will be required to pay Mallinckrodt a low single digit royalty on net sales of EVK-001.
Milestone payments, pegged to development targets			$ 47,000,000		$ 47,000,000
Expected expiration of patent right					2030

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Estimated Fair Value of Stock Option Award (Detail) - Common Stock Options [Member]	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Stock-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate		1.75%		1.75%
Expected option term	0 years	6 years		6 years
Expected volatility of common stock		70.80%		70.80%
Expected dividend yield		0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Minimum [Member]
Stock-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate			1.66%
Expected option term			5 years 6 months
Expected volatility of common stock			71.06%
Maximum [Member]
Stock-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate			1.77%
Expected option term			6 years
Expected volatility of common stock			73.21%

Stockholders' Equity - Summary of Estimated Fair Value of Stock Option Award and Employee Stock Purchase Plan Award (Detail) - Employee stock purchase plan [Member]	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Stock-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate	0.05%
Expected option term	6 months	0 months	6 months	0 months
Expected volatility of common stock	69.32%
Expected dividend yield	0.00%		0.00%
Minimum [Member]
Stock-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate			0.05%
Expected volatility of common stock			69.32%
Maximum [Member]
Stock-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Risk free interest rate			0.08%
Expected volatility of common stock			73.21%

Organization and Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Organization and Basis of Presentation	Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Organization and Basis of Presentation	1. Organization and Basis of Presentation Evoke Pharma, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the state of Delaware on January 29, 2007 (inception). The Company is a publicly-held specialty pharmaceutical company focused primarily on the development of drugs to treat gastroenterological disorders and disease. Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its efforts to product development, raising capital and building infrastructure, and has not realized revenues from its planned principal operations. The Company does not anticipate realizing revenues for the foreseeable future. The Company’s activities are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including funding its operations beyond the completion of its ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial for EVK-001. In the quarter ended June 30, 2014, the Company early adopted ASU No. 2014-10, Development Stage Entities (Topic 915): Elimination of Certain Financial Reporting Requirements, Including an Amendment to Variable Interest Entities Guidance in Topic 810, Consolidation. Please refer to Note 2 for further details.

Organization and Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]
Date of incorporation	Jan. 29, 2007

Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]
Unrecognized compensation costs	$ 2.6
Weighted average period over which unrecognized compensation cost is expected to be recognized	1 year 4 months 24 days