Collaborative Arrangements - Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Details) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Janssen
Collaborative Arrangement and Arrangement Other than Collaborative [Line Items]
Collaborative and royalty revenues	$ 25.0

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