Nature of Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business	Nature of Business The Medicines Company (the Company) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on saving lives, alleviating suffering and contributing to the economics of healthcare by focusing on leading acute/intensive care hospitals worldwide. The Company markets Angiomax^®(bivalirudin), Cleviprex^® (clevidipine) injectable emulsion, Minocin^® (minocycline) for injection, Orbactiv^® (oritavancin), PreveLeak^TM and Recothrom^® Thrombin topical (Recombinant). The Company received marketing approval in the United States for three of its product candidates during the second quarter of 2015: IONSYS^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Raplixa^TM, formerly referred to as Fibrocaps^TM, and RPX-602, a new formulation of Minocin IV. The Company also has a pipeline of acute and intensive care hospital products in development, including one registration stage product candidate for which it has submitted an application for regulatory approval in the United States, cangrelor, and four research and development product candidates, ABP-700, ALN-PCSsc, Carbavance^TM and MDCO-216. The Company refers to its registration stage product candidates and its research and development product candidates as its products in development. The Company has the right to develop, manufacture and commercialize ALN-PCSsc under its collaboration agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Alnylam). The Company believes that its products and products in development possess favorable attributes that competitive products do not provide, can satisfy unmet medical needs in the acute and intensive care hospital product market and offer, or, in the case of its products in development, have the potential to offer, improved performance to hospital businesses. In addition to these products and products in development, the Company sells a ready‑to‑use formulation of Argatroban and has a portfolio of ten generic drugs, which it refers to as its acute care generic products, that the Company has the non‑exclusive right to market in the United States. The Company is currently selling three of its acute care generic products, midazolam, ondansetron and rocuronium.

Nature of Business

The Medicines Company (the Company) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on saving lives, alleviating suffering and contributing to the economics of healthcare by focusing on leading acute/intensive care hospitals worldwide. The Company markets Angiomax^®(bivalirudin), Cleviprex^® (clevidipine) injectable emulsion, Minocin^® (minocycline) for injection, Orbactiv^® (oritavancin), PreveLeak^TM and Recothrom^® Thrombin topical (Recombinant). The Company received marketing approval in the United States for three of its product candidates during the second quarter of 2015: IONSYS^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Raplixa^TM, formerly referred to as Fibrocaps^TM, and RPX-602, a new formulation of Minocin IV. The Company also has a pipeline of acute and intensive care hospital products in development, including one registration stage product candidate for which it has submitted an application for regulatory approval in the United States, cangrelor, and four research and development product candidates, ABP-700, ALN-PCSsc, Carbavance^TM and MDCO-216. The Company refers to its registration stage product candidates and its research and development product candidates as its products in development. The Company has the right to develop, manufacture and commercialize ALN-PCSsc under its collaboration agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Alnylam). The Company believes that its products and products in development possess favorable attributes that competitive products do not provide, can satisfy unmet medical needs in the acute and intensive care hospital product market and offer, or, in the case of its products in development, have the potential to offer, improved performance to hospital businesses.

In addition to these products and products in development, the Company sells a ready‑to‑use formulation of Argatroban and has a portfolio of ten generic drugs, which it refers to as its acute care generic products, that the Company has the non‑exclusive right to market in the United States. The Company is currently selling three of its acute care generic products, midazolam, ondansetron and rocuronium.