Litigation (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Pending Litigation
Litigation
Maximum period for which the FDA is automatically precluded from approving Watson's ANDA	30 months

Represents the maximum period of time from receipt of a Notice Letter corresponding to a Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for which the FDA is precluded from approving the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), under the Hatch-Waxman Act.

No definition available.

Name:	uthr_LossContingencyPeriodForWhichLawsuitWouldPrecludeFdaFromApprovingWatsonAnda
Namespace Prefix:	uthr_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration