SHORT-TERM BORROWINGS AND LONG-TERM DEBT (Details 4) (USD $)	12 Months Ended				0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended					0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended					1 Months Ended					12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 11, 2012 Medicis	Jun. 29, 2012 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Jun. 10, 2009 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2011 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2010 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan A Facility	Dec. 31, 2011 Term Loan A Facility	Oct. 02, 2012 Term Loan B Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan B Facility	Dec. 31, 2010 Term Loan B Facility	Dec. 31, 2011 6.50% Senior Notes due in July 2016 and 7.25% Senior Notes due in July 2022	Mar. 31, 2011 6.50% Senior Notes due in July 2016	Dec. 31, 2011 6.50% Senior Notes due in July 2016	Dec. 31, 2012 6.50% Senior Notes due in July 2016	Mar. 31, 2011 7.25% Senior Notes due in July 2022	Dec. 31, 2012 7.25% Senior Notes due in July 2022	Dec. 31, 2011 7.25% Senior Notes due in July 2022	Dec. 31, 2012 6.75% Senior Notes due in October 2017	Dec. 31, 2011 6.75% Senior Notes due in October 2017	Dec. 31, 2011 7.00% Senior Notes due in October 2020	Dec. 31, 2012 7.00% Senior Notes due in October 2020	Nov. 23, 2010 6.875% Senior Notes due in December 2018	Dec. 31, 2011 6.875% Senior Notes due in December 2018	Dec. 31, 2012 6.875% Senior Notes due in December 2018	Feb. 08, 2011 6.75% Senior Notes due in August 2021	Dec. 31, 2012 6.75% Senior Notes due in August 2021	Dec. 31, 2011 6.75% Senior Notes due in August 2021	Oct. 04, 2012 6.375% Senior Notes due in October 2020	Dec. 31, 2012 6.375% Senior Notes due in October 2020	Oct. 04, 2012 6.375% Senior Notes due in October 2020	Dec. 31, 2012 6.375% Senior Notes due in October 2020	Dec. 31, 2012 6.375% Senior Notes due in October 2020 Medicis	Dec. 31, 2012 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2011 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2010 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Jun. 30, 2009 5.375% Convertible Notes due in August, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012 1.375% Convertible Senior Notes due in 2017	Dec. 31, 2012 1.375% Convertible Senior Notes due in 2017 Medicis	Dec. 11, 2012 1.375% Convertible Senior Notes due in 2017 Medicis	Dec. 31, 2012 2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due in 2032	Dec. 31, 2012 2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due in 2032 Medicis	Dec. 11, 2012 2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due in 2032 Medicis	Dec. 31, 2012 1.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due in 2033	Dec. 31, 2012 1.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due in 2033 Medicis	Dec. 11, 2012 1.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due in 2033 Medicis	May 20, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Jun. 30, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Apr. 30, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Dec. 31, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Sep. 30, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Jun. 30, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Dec. 31, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Dec. 31, 2010 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Apr. 20, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Sep. 28, 2010 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013	Sep. 30, 2011 4.00% Convertible Notes due in November, 2013 Call options	Dec. 31, 2012 New Revolving Credit Facility	Sep. 11, 2012 New Revolving Credit Facility	Feb. 13, 2012 New Revolving Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2011 New Revolving Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Bridge loan facility Medicis	Sep. 02, 2012 Bridge loan facility Medicis	Dec. 31, 2012 Incremental Term Loan B Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Incremental Term Loan B Facility Medicis
Long-term debt
Amount borrowed						$ 350,000,000						$ 1,300,000,000				$ 950,000,000			$ 550,000,000			$ 500,000,000			$ 700,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000			$ 650,000,000			$ 1,750,000,000		$ 500,000,000		$ 1,750,000,000																				$ 200,000,000													$ 1,000,000,000
Stated interest rate (as a percent)									5.375%									6.50%		7.25%		6.75%			7.00%			6.875%		6.75%			6.375%		6.375%		5.375%	5.375%	5.375%	5.375%	1.375%	1.375%	1.375%	2.50%	2.50%	2.50%	1.50%	1.50%	1.50%				4.00%				4.00%	4.00%
Long-term debt	11,015,625,000	6,651,011,000		778,000,000						2,083,462,000	2,185,520,000		1,275,167,000				915,500,000	915,500,000		541,335,000	540,427,000	498,305,000	497,949,000	686,228,000	686,660,000		938,376,000	939,277,000		650,000,000	650,000,000		1,724,520,000		492,720,000			17,011,000			228,576,000			5,133,000			84,000																		220,000,000			973,988,000
Issue price as a percentage of par value																			98.125%			99.50%			99.375%	99.24%
Effective rate (as a percent)																				7.50%		6.84%			7.09%			7.00%																												4.62%						3.52%
Repayment of debt, amount										975,000,000			1,000,000,000	500,000,000
Repurchase of common shares with proceeds of Notes offering	280,724,000	639,242,000	60,130,000												274,800,000
Issuance of long-term debt, net of discount	6,005,758,000	5,388,799,000	992,400,000																													1,723,700,000		492,500,000
Underwriting fees																																26,300,000		7,500,000
Redemption price as a percentage of principal amount as per the merger agreement							100.00%											100.00%		100.00%		100.00%			100.00%			100.00%		100.00%			100.00%		100.00%																					100.00%
Maximum percentage of the aggregate principal amount that may be redeemed with the net proceeds of certain equity offerings																		35.00%		35.00%		35.00%			35.00%			35.00%		35.00%			35.00%		35.00%
Redemption price, using proceeds from certain equity offerings, as a percentage of the principal amount							100.00%											106.50%		107.25%		106.75%			107.00%			106.875%		106.75%			106.375%		106.375%
Repurchase price, as a percentage of the principal amount, change of control																		101.00%		101.00%		101.00%			101.00%			101.00%		101.00%			101.00%		101.00%
Annual cash interest rate payable for period (as a percent)																																										1.375%
Aggregate outstanding principal amount of convertible notes																																										228,600,000			5,100,000			100,000								225,000,000
Principal amount convertible notes converted in cash																																										318,100,000			226,000,000			100,000
Fundamental change conversion rate (as a percent)																																										100.21%
Change of control conversion rate (as a percent)																																													100.442%			100.292%
Make-whole adjustment conversion rate (as a percent)																																										109.332%
Regular conversion rate (as a percent)																																										93.468%
Consecutive trading period immediately after any ten consecutive trading day period in which trading price is less than regular conversion price																																										5 days
Consecutive trading period for which trading price should be less than 98% of regular conversion price																																										10 days
Principal amount used for ratio of debt instrument regular conversion price																																										1,000
Percentage of the trading price to the regular conversion price of the notes																																										98.00%
Percentage of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest at which entity may offer to repurchase the notes																																													100.00%			100.00%
Percentage of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest settled in cash																																													100.00%			100.00%
Settlement of Convertible Notes (in shares)																																																				17,782,764	961,461
Conversion rate, number of common shares per $1,000 of principal amount of notes							0.0696943																																											0.0790667
Conversion price of convertible notes (in dollars per share)							$ 14.35																																											$ 12.65
Surrender conversion rate (as a percent)																																													151.463%			113.519%
Aggregate redemption amount of notes	1,929,118,000	2,004,641,000	537,500,000		62,100,000																																4,000,000	623,300,000	259,200,000			228,400,000			5,100,000			100,000
Fair value of convertible notes						293,300,000	1,100,000	209,200,000	127,500,000																																																			220,500,000
Carrying amount of notes prior to conversion					16,000,000																																																						221,300,000
Fair value of notes prior to conversion					18,300,000																																																						226,000,000
Loss on extinguishment of debt	20,080,000	36,844,000	32,413,000				2,300,000		20,700,000				17,625,000	1,697,000																							2,455,000	31,629,000	20,652,000																4,700,000		4,708,000
Difference between estimated fair value of notes and fair value of common shares issued upon settlement																																																								666,000,000
Charges to additional paid-in capital for difference between estimated fair value of notes and fair value of common shares issued upon settlement																																																								226,000,000
Fair value of common shares issued for conversion		(892,000,000)																																																						892,000,000
Charges to accumulated deficit for difference between estimated fair value of notes and fair value of common shares issued upon settlement																																																								440,000,000
Convertible notes, number of shares convertible into equity consisting of purchased call options																																																								15,813,338
Convertible notes, number of shares convertible into equity consisting of written call options																																																			11,479,365
Cash paid for settlement of written call options		66,863,000	37,682,000																																																										66,900,000
Shares issued for settlement of call options																																																						7,518,595
Interest Expense recognized based on the effective rate of interest on liability component of convertible notes
Cash interest per contractual coupon rate							559,000	6,265,000	18,335,000																																																3,268,000	2,324,000
Non-cash amortization of debt discount							333,000	3,433,000	9,265,000																																																589,000	304,000
Interest expense recognized	473,396,000	333,041,000	84,307,000				892,000	9,698,000	27,600,000																																																3,857,000	2,628,000
Non-cash amortization of deferred financing costs							100,000	800,000	2,100,000																																																									8,000,000
Percentage of the closing sales price of the entity's common stock that the conversion price must exceed in order for the notes to be convertible							130.00%
Number of trading days before maturity date during which notes are convertible							25 days
Market rate of interest on debt (as a percent)						9.50%
Period over which value allocated to liability component is being accreted to the face value						5 years
Financing cost incurred in connection with the issuance of Convertible Notes						16,500,000
Aggregate principal amount of notes repurchased							1,100,000	205,000,000	126,300,000								34,500,000							10,000,000			55,400,000
Repurchases of convertible debt	(3,975,000)	(613,471,000)	(254,316,000)				(3,900,000)										(34,200,000)							(9,500,000)			(54,900,000)
Difference between the estimated fair value and the repurchase price of securities							43,800,000	414,100,000	131,700,000
Difference between the estimated fair value and the purchase price of securities charged to additional paid-in capital						56,700,000	200,000	33,200,000	20,400,000
Difference between the estimated fair value and the purchase price of securities charged to accumulated deficit							43,600,000	380,900,000	111,300,000
Maximum borrowing capacity																																																															$ 450,000,000	$ 275,000,000			$ 2,750,000,000