Contingencies (Details)			9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Lorazepam And Clorazepate [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 13, 2011 Lorazepam And Clorazepate [Member] USD ($)	Feb. 06, 2008 Lorazepam And Clorazepate [Member] USD ($)	Jun. 01, 2005 Lorazepam And Clorazepate [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Pricing And Medicaid Litigation [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Pricing And Medicaid Litigation [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Product Liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010 Product Liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Dey Business [Member] USD ($)	Jul. 18, 2011 Digitek Recall [Member]	Apr. 25, 2008 Digitek Recall [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 EU Commission Proceedings [Member]	Sep. 30, 2011 Merck KGaA [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Other Litigation [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 Other Litigation [Member] EUR (€)
Accrued amount for settlement by Mylan						$ 12,000,000	$ 125,000,000	$ 157,000,000		$ 41,000,000
Judgment amount					69,000,000
Compensation damages in original verdict					11,000,000
Compensatory damages in original verdict plus punitive damages					58,000,000
Surety bond underwritten by third party insurance company				74,500,000
Irrevocable letter of credit				24,500,000
Settlement payments							32,000,000		15,000,000
Payment of previous accrued anticipated income tax benefit															60,000,000
Other current liabilities	924,812,000	1,057,573,000									68,000,000
Damages sought			$ 8,000,000													$ 24,000,000	€ 17,000,000
Number of plaintiffs to opt out of settlement												12
Number of companies involved in inquiry														100
Number of cases pending													1,000