Nature of Business	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
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), Ionsys^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Minocin (minocycline) for injection and Orbactiv^® (oritavancin). 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 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. On July 2, 2015, the Company entered into a supply and distribution agreement with Sandoz Inc. (Sandoz), under which the Company granted Sandoz the exclusive right to sell in the United States an authorized generic of Angiomax (bivalirudin). The Company entered into the supply and distribution agreement as a result of the July 2, 2015 U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit Court) ruling against the Company in its patent infringement litigation with Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) with respect to U.S. Patent No. 7,582,727 (‘727 patent) and U.S. Patent No. 7,598,343 (‘343 patent), covering a more consistent and improved Angiomax drug product and the processes by which it is made. In its July 2, 2015 ruling, the Federal Circuit Court held the ‘727 patent and the ‘343 patent invalid under the Section 102(b) “on sale” bar. On July 15, 2015, Hospira’s Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) for its generic versions of bivalirudin were approved by the FDA and Hospira began selling its generic versions of bivalirudin. On November 13, 2015, the Company’s petition for en banc review of the Federal Circuit Court's July 2, 2015 decision was granted and the Federal Circuit Court vacated its July 2, 2015 decision. On July 11, 2016, in an unanimous decision, the en banc Court ruled in the Company’s favor by finding that the ‘727 patent and the ‘343 patent were not invalid under the “on sale” bar. Notwithstanding the Federal Circuit Court’s November 13, 2015 and July 11, 2016 decisions, due to the Federal Circuit Court’s July 2, 2015 decision and the Company’s resulting entry into a supply and distribution agreement with Sandoz and Hospira’s entry into the market, Angiomax is now subject to generic competition with the authorized generic and Hospira’s generic bivalirudin products. 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. On February 1, 2016, the Company completed the sale of its hemostasis portfolio, consisting of PreveLeak (surgical sealant), Raplixa (fibrin sealant) and Recothrom Thrombin topical (Recombinant) (the Hemostasis Business), to wholly owned subsidiaries of Mallinckrodt plc (collectively, Mallinckrodt) pursuant to the purchase and sale agreement dated December 18, 2015 between the Company and Mallinckrodt. At completion of the sale, the Company received approximately $174.1 million in cash from Mallinckrodt, and may receive up to an additional $235.0 million in the aggregate following the achievement of certain specified calendar year net sales milestones with respect to net sales of PreveLeak and Raplixa. As a result of the transaction, the Company accounted for the assets and liabilities of the Hemostasis Business as held for sale at December 31, 2015. As a result of the classification as held for sale, the Company recorded impairment charges of $133.3 million, including $24.5 million related to goodwill, to reduce the Hemostasis Business disposal group’s carrying value to its estimated fair value, less costs to sell for the year ended December 31, 2015. Further, the financial results of the Hemostasis Business held for sale were reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods presented in our condensed consolidated financial statements. See Note 16, “Discontinued Operations,” for further details. On June 21, 2016, the Company completed the sale of three non-core cardiovascular products, Cleviprex (clevidipine) injectable emulsion, Kengreal (cangrelor) and rights to Argatroban for Injection (collectively the Non-Core ACC Products) and related assets, to Chiesi USA, Inc. (Chiesi USA) and its parent company Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. (Chiesi) pursuant to the purchase and sale agreement dated May 9, 2016 by and among the Company, Chiesi and Chiesi USA. At the completion of the sale, the Company received approximately $263.8 million in cash, which included the value of product inventory, and may receive up to an additional $480.0 million in the aggregate following the achievement of certain specified calendar year net sales milestones with respect to net sales of each of Cleviprex and Kengreal. See Note 15, “Dispositions,” for further details.

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), Ionsys^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Minocin (minocycline) for injection and Orbactiv^® (oritavancin). 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 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.

On July 2, 2015, the Company entered into a supply and distribution agreement with Sandoz Inc. (Sandoz), under which the Company granted Sandoz the exclusive right to sell in the United States an authorized generic of Angiomax (bivalirudin). The Company entered into the supply and distribution agreement as a result of the July 2, 2015 U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit Court) ruling against the Company in its patent infringement litigation with Hospira, Inc. (Hospira) with respect to U.S. Patent No. 7,582,727 (‘727 patent) and U.S. Patent No. 7,598,343 (‘343 patent), covering a more consistent and improved Angiomax drug product and the processes by which it is made. In its July 2, 2015 ruling, the Federal Circuit Court held the ‘727 patent and the ‘343 patent invalid under the Section 102(b) “on sale” bar. On July 15, 2015, Hospira’s Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) for its generic versions of bivalirudin were approved by the FDA and Hospira began selling its generic versions of bivalirudin. On November 13, 2015, the Company’s petition for en banc review of the Federal Circuit Court's July 2, 2015 decision was granted and the Federal Circuit Court vacated its July 2, 2015 decision. On July 11, 2016, in an unanimous decision, the en banc Court ruled in the Company’s favor by finding that the ‘727 patent and the ‘343 patent were not invalid under the “on sale” bar. Notwithstanding the Federal Circuit Court’s November 13, 2015 and July 11, 2016 decisions, due to the Federal Circuit Court’s July 2, 2015 decision and the Company’s resulting entry into a supply and distribution agreement with Sandoz and Hospira’s entry into the market, Angiomax is now subject to generic competition with the authorized generic and Hospira’s generic bivalirudin products.

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.

On February 1, 2016, the Company completed the sale of its hemostasis portfolio, consisting of PreveLeak (surgical sealant), Raplixa (fibrin sealant) and Recothrom Thrombin topical (Recombinant) (the Hemostasis Business), to wholly owned subsidiaries of Mallinckrodt plc (collectively, Mallinckrodt) pursuant to the purchase and sale agreement dated December 18, 2015 between the Company and Mallinckrodt. At completion of the sale, the Company received approximately $174.1 million in cash from Mallinckrodt, and may receive up to an additional $235.0 million in the aggregate following the achievement of certain specified calendar year net sales milestones with respect to net sales of PreveLeak and Raplixa. As a result of the transaction, the Company accounted for the assets and liabilities of the Hemostasis Business as held for sale at December 31, 2015. As a result of the classification as held for sale, the Company recorded impairment charges of $133.3 million, including $24.5 million related to goodwill, to reduce the Hemostasis Business disposal group’s carrying value to its estimated fair value, less costs to sell for the year ended December 31, 2015. Further, the financial results of the Hemostasis Business held for sale were reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods presented in our condensed consolidated financial statements. See Note 16, “Discontinued Operations,” for further details.

On June 21, 2016, the Company completed the sale of three non-core cardiovascular products, Cleviprex (clevidipine) injectable emulsion, Kengreal (cangrelor) and rights to Argatroban for Injection (collectively the Non-Core ACC Products) and related assets, to Chiesi USA, Inc. (Chiesi USA) and its parent company Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. (Chiesi) pursuant to the purchase and sale agreement dated May 9, 2016 by and among the Company, Chiesi and Chiesi USA. At the completion of the sale, the Company received approximately $263.8 million in cash, which included the value of product inventory, and may receive up to an additional $480.0 million in the aggregate following the achievement of certain specified calendar year net sales milestones with respect to net sales of each of Cleviprex and Kengreal. See Note 15, “Dispositions,” for further details.