Collaborative Arrangements and Acquisitions - Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Details) - Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2014
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Collaborative arrangement, up-front payment		$ 35.0
Collaborative revenues	$ 25.0
Time period of notice required to terminate		6 months

The aggregate revenue from collaborative revenues. It includes the revenues earned by the entity from nonrefundable, up-front license fees; net reimbursements of research and/or development efforts, including manufacturing services; and milestone payments.

No definition available.

Name:	vrtx_CollaborativeRevenues
Namespace Prefix:	vrtx_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration