Other Arrangements (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2008	Sep. 30, 2017
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Gross proceeds from sale of royalty rights receivable from GlaxoSmithKline	$ 160,000,000.0
Deferred revenue royalty purchase agreement		$ 8,000,000

This element represents the carrying value of deferred revenue recorded with regard to agreement to sell rights to receive royalty payments, as on the balance sheet date.

No definition available.

Name:	vrtx_DeferredRevenueRoyaltyPurchaseAgreement
Namespace Prefix:	vrtx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant