Income Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Tax Carryforwards
Benefit from income taxes	$ 803,000	$ (130,313,000)
Current state and local tax expense		(130,300,000)
Intangible asset impairment charge	0	412,900,000
Deferred federal income tax expense (benefit)		127,600,000
Unrecognized tax benefits	2,600,000		2,000,000
Federal income tax net operating loss carryfowards			2,700,000,000
Federal income tax credit carryforwards			120,100,000
State income tax net operating loss carryforwards			966,800,000
State income tax credit credit carryforwards			66,900,000
Total Vertex Shareholders' Equity
Tax Carryforwards
Current state and local tax expense		(126,900,000)
Noncontrolling Interest (Alios)
Tax Carryforwards
Current state and local tax expense		(3,400,000)
VX-222Asset
Tax Carryforwards
Intangible assets		0
Intangible asset impairment charge		$ 412,900,000