Nature of Business	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
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. The Company markets Angiomax^® (bivalirudin), Ionsys^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Minocin® (minocycline) for injection and Orbactiv^® (oritavancin). The Company also has a pipeline of products in development, including meropenem-vaborbactam (formerly known as carbavance), inclisiran (formerly known as PCSK9si) and MDCO-700 (formerly known as ABP-700). The Company has the right to develop, manufacture and commercialize inclisiran 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 and offer, or, in the case of its products in development, have the potential to offer, improved performance to hospital businesses. 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 the Company’s 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. The financial results of the Hemostasis Business were classified to discontinued operations for the three month period ended March 30, 2016 presented in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. See Note 15, “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. As part of the transaction, the Company sublicensed to Chiesi all of its rights to Cleviprex and Kengreal under the Company’s license from AstraZeneca. Subsequent to the completion of the sale, these sublicenses from the Company to Chiesi were terminated, Chiesi purchased from AstraZeneca all or substantially all of AstraZeneca’s assets relating to Cleviprex and Kengreal, the parties released certain claims against one another, and the Company paid Chiesi $7.5 million. See Note 14, “Dispositions,” for further details. Consistent with the Company’s intentions announced in November 2015, in January 2017 the Company announced that it intends to seek opportunities to partner or divest Ionsys and are exploring the potential for separating the Company’s infectious disease business. Specifically with respect to Ionsys, to date the Company has not identified an acceptable partnership or divestiture transaction and is continuing its commercialization efforts. However, if an acceptable transaction cannot be completed during the second quarter of 2017, the Company may elect to discontinue commercialization of the product. If the commercialization of Ionsys is discontinued, the Company estimates it will incur approximately $270 million to $280 million of pre-tax charges, of which $270 million are expected to relate to non-cash impairment charges and up to $10 million would relate to cash severance and other employee costs.

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. The Company markets Angiomax^® (bivalirudin), Ionsys^® (fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system), Minocin® (minocycline) for injection and Orbactiv^® (oritavancin). The Company also has a pipeline of products in development, including meropenem-vaborbactam (formerly known as carbavance), inclisiran (formerly known as PCSK9si) and MDCO-700 (formerly known as ABP-700). The Company has the right to develop, manufacture and commercialize inclisiran 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 and offer, or, in the case of its products in development, have the potential to offer, improved performance to hospital businesses.

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 the Company’s 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. The financial results of the Hemostasis Business were classified to discontinued operations for the three month period ended March 30, 2016 presented in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. See Note 15, “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. As part of the transaction, the Company sublicensed to Chiesi all of its rights to Cleviprex and Kengreal under the Company’s license from AstraZeneca. Subsequent to the completion of the sale, these sublicenses from the Company to Chiesi were terminated, Chiesi purchased from AstraZeneca all or substantially all of AstraZeneca’s assets relating to Cleviprex and Kengreal, the parties released certain claims against one another, and the Company paid Chiesi $7.5 million. See Note 14, “Dispositions,” for further details.

Consistent with the Company’s intentions announced in November 2015, in January 2017 the Company announced that it intends to seek opportunities to partner or divest Ionsys and are exploring the potential for separating the Company’s infectious disease business. Specifically with respect to Ionsys, to date the Company has not identified an acceptable partnership or divestiture transaction and is continuing its commercialization efforts. However, if an acceptable transaction cannot be completed during the second quarter of 2017, the Company may elect to discontinue commercialization of the product. If the commercialization of Ionsys is discontinued, the Company estimates it will incur approximately $270 million to $280 million of pre-tax charges, of which $270 million are expected to relate to non-cash impairment charges and up to $10 million would relate to cash severance and other employee costs.