Document And Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Apr. 29, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	AKORN INC
Document Type	10-K
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		119,427,471
Entity Public Float			$ 3.4
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0000003116
Entity Current Reporting Status	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY