Nature of Business	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Nature of Business	Nature of Business The Medicines 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 or has received marketing approval for Angiomax^®(bivalirudin), Cleviprex^® (clevidipine) injectable emulsion, Ionsys^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Kengreal^TM (cangrelor), Minocin^® (minocycline) for injection, Orbactiv^® (oritavancin), PreveLeak^TM, Raplixa^TM(fibrin sealant) and Recothrom^® Thrombin topical (Recombinant). The Company also has a pipeline of acute and intensive care hospital products in development, including ABP-700, ALN-PCSsc, Carbavance^® and MDCO-216. 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. On July 2, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit Court) ruled against the Company in its patent infringement litigation with Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) with respect to the principal U.S. patents covering Angiomax. In its ruling, the Federal Circuit Court held U.S. Patent Nos. 7,582,727 ('727 patent) and 7,598,343 ('343 patent) invalid. As a result, the Company does not have market exclusivity for Angiomax in the United States. In light of such events, in July 2015 the Company entered into a supply and distribution agreement with Sandoz Inc. (Sandoz) under which it granted Sandoz the exclusive right to sell in the United States an authorized generic of Angiomax (bivalirudin). In addition, in July 2015 Hospira's Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) for its generic versions of bivalirudin were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a result, Angiomax is now subject to generic competition with the authorized generic and Hospira's generic bivalirudin products. Given the generic competition, the Company has determined to suspend its efforts and expenditures with respect to Angiomax other than for supply chain, quality and safety monitoring and other necessary activities. On November 3, 2015, the Company announced that it was in the process of evaluating its operations with a goal of unlocking stockholder value. In particular, the Company stated its current intention was to explore strategies for optimizing its capital structure and liquidity position and to narrow the Company’s operational focus by strategically separating non-core businesses and products in order to generate non-dilutive cash and reduce associated cash burn and capital requirements, including, among other things, by potentially divesting or partnering PreveLeak, Raplixa and Recothrom, likely in more than one transaction.

Nature of Business

The Medicines 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 or has received marketing approval for Angiomax^®(bivalirudin), Cleviprex^® (clevidipine) injectable emulsion, Ionsys^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Kengreal^TM (cangrelor), Minocin^® (minocycline) for injection, Orbactiv^® (oritavancin), PreveLeak^TM, Raplixa^TM(fibrin sealant) and Recothrom^® Thrombin topical (Recombinant). The Company also has a pipeline of acute and intensive care hospital products in development, including ABP-700, ALN-PCSsc, Carbavance^® and MDCO-216. 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.

On July 2, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit Court) ruled against the Company in its patent infringement litigation with Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) with respect to the principal U.S. patents covering Angiomax. In its ruling, the Federal Circuit Court held U.S. Patent Nos. 7,582,727 ('727 patent) and 7,598,343 ('343 patent) invalid. As a result, the Company does not have market exclusivity for Angiomax in the United States. In light of such events, in July 2015 the Company entered into a supply and distribution agreement with Sandoz Inc. (Sandoz) under which it granted Sandoz the exclusive right to sell in the United States an authorized generic of Angiomax (bivalirudin). In addition, in July 2015 Hospira's Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) for its generic versions of bivalirudin were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As a result, Angiomax is now subject to generic competition with the authorized generic and Hospira's generic bivalirudin products. Given the generic competition, the Company has determined to suspend its efforts and expenditures with respect to Angiomax other than for supply chain, quality and safety monitoring and other necessary activities.

On November 3, 2015, the Company announced that it was in the process of evaluating its operations with a goal of unlocking stockholder value. In particular, the Company stated its current intention was to explore strategies for optimizing its capital structure and liquidity position and to narrow the Company’s operational focus by strategically separating non-core businesses and products in order to generate non-dilutive cash and reduce associated cash burn and capital requirements, including, among other things, by potentially divesting or partnering PreveLeak, Raplixa and Recothrom, likely in more than one transaction.