2.2.0.7 false Significant Accounting Policies 0202 - Disclosure - Significant Accounting Policies true false false false 1 USD false false USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDEPS Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 $ 2 Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract] 0 mdco_SignificantAccountingPoliciesAbstract mdco false na duration Significant Accounting Policies. false false false false false true false false false false false false 1 false false false false 0 0 false false false xbrli:stringItemType string Significant Accounting Policies. false 3 Significant Accounting Policies 1 us-gaap_SignificantAccountingPoliciesTextBlock us-gaap true na duration No definition available. false false false false false false false false false false false verboselabel false 1 false false false false 0 0   <div align="left" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 12pt"><b>2. Significant Accounting Policies</b> </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in note 2 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     <b><i>Basis of Presentation</i></b> </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company has no unconsolidated subsidiaries or investments accounted for under the equity method. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     The results of operations for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year or the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, filed with the SEC. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     <b><i>Use of Estimates</i></b> </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs, expenses and accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) that are reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying disclosures. Actual results may be different. See note 2 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 for a discussion of the Company’s critical accounting estimates. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     <b><i>Reclassifications</i></b> </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     <b><i>Recent Accounting Pronouncements</i></b> </div> <div align="left" style="font-size: 10pt; margin-top: 6pt">     In June 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 167, “Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R)”, which was later superseded by the FASB Codification and included in ASC topic 810-10 (ASC 810-10), which modifies how a company determines when an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or is not controlled through voting (or similar rights) should be consolidated. ASC 810-10 clarifies that the determination of whether a company is required to consolidate an entity is based on, among other things, an entity’s purpose and design and a company’s ability to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance. ASC 810-10 requires an ongoing reassessment of whether a company is the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity. ASC 810-10 also requires additional disclosures about a company’s involvement in variable interest entities and any significant changes in risk exposure due to that involvement. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2009 and was effective for the Company on January 1, 2010. The Company adopted this accounting pronouncement as of January 1, 2010 and it did not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements. </div> </div>  <!-- Begin Block Tagged Note false false false us-types:textBlockItemType textblock This element may be used to describe all significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) -Number 22 -Paragraph 8 false 1 2 false UnKnown UnKnown UnKnown false true