Commitments and Contingencies (Details) $ in Thousands				3 Months Ended
	Oct. 21, 2016 claim	Mar. 04, 2015 defendant	Sep. 12, 2012 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) lawsuit
Contingent Potential Milestone Payments, Year ending December 31,
2017				$ 5,247
2018				9,392
2019				70
2020 and Beyond				800
Total				$ 15,509
Pending Litigation | Akorn, Inc. Securities Litigation
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of defendants (in defendant) | defendant		3
New derivative lawsuits filed (in lawsuit) | lawsuit				4
Pending Litigation | Akorn, Inc. Securities Litigation | Northern District of Illinois
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
New derivative lawsuits filed (in lawsuit) | lawsuit				2
Pending Litigation | Fera Pharmaceuticals, LLC v. Akorn Inc.
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Damages sought			$ 135,000
Pending Litigation | State of Louisiana v. Abbott Laboratories, Inc., et al.
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of claims dismissed (in claim) | claim	4
Number of claims filed (in claim) | claim	6