Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

A. Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

        The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated ("Vertex" or the "Company") in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP").

        The condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the operations of (i) the Company, (ii) its wholly-owned subsidiaries and (iii) Alios BioPharma, Inc. ("Alios"), a collaborator that is a variable interest entity (a "VIE") for which the Company is deemed under applicable accounting guidance to be the primary beneficiary. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The Company operates in one segment, pharmaceuticals.

        Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company's annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted. These interim financial statements, in the opinion of management, reflect all normal recurring adjustments (including accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and results of operations for the interim periods ended September 30, 2012 and 2011.

        The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the full fiscal year. These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011, which are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 22, 2012 (the "2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K").

Use of Estimates and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

        The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements, and the amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Significant estimates in these condensed consolidated financial statements have been made in connection with the calculation of revenues, inventories, research and development expenses, stock-based compensation expense, restructuring expense, the fair value of intangible assets, noncontrolling interest (Alios), income tax provision, derivative instruments and debt securities. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions, including in certain circumstances future projections, that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results in the period in which they become known.

        The Company's significant accounting policies are described in Note A, "Nature of Business and Accounting Policies," in the 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        For a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements please refer to Note A, "Nature of Business and Accounting Policies—Recent Accounting Pronouncements," in the 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented below. The Company did not adopt any new accounting pronouncements during the nine months ended September 30, 2012 that had a material effect on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In the first quarter of 2012, the Company retrospectively adopted amended guidance issued in June 2011 by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") that resulted in two separate, but consecutive, statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) that affected the presentation of the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

        In July 2012, the FASB issued amended guidance applicable to annual impairment tests of indefinite-lived intangible assets. The FASB added an optional qualitative assessment for determining whether an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. Prior to this guidance, companies were required to perform an annual impairment test that included a calculation of the fair value of the asset and a comparison of that fair value with its carrying value. If the carrying value exceeded the fair value, an impairment was recorded. The amended guidance allows a company the option to perform a qualitative assessment, considering both negative and positive evidence, regarding the potential impairment of the indefinite-lived intangible asset. If, based on the qualitative analysis, a company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of such an asset exceeds its carrying value, the company would be permitted to conclude that the indefinite-lived intangible asset was not impaired without a quantitative calculation of the fair value of the asset. Otherwise, the company would perform the quantitative calculation of the fair value and the comparison with the carrying value. This amended guidance will be effective for annual impairment tests performed by the Company for fiscal years beginning on January 1, 2013 and early adoption is permitted.