Intangible Assets and Goodwill	3 Months Ended
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Sep. 30, 2013
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Intangible Assets and Goodwill Intangible Assets As of December 31, 2012, the Company's intangible assets consisted of indefinite-lived in-process research and development assets of (i) $250.6 million related to its HCV nucleotide analogue program, which includes the HCV nucleotide analogue VX-135, and (ii) $412.9 million related to VX-222, which also was being developed for the treatment of HCV infection. The Company acquired VX-222 when it acquired ViroChem Pharma Inc. ("ViroChem") in 2009. The Company tests intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis as of October 1, and more frequently if indicators are present or changes in circumstance suggest that impairment may exist. In connection with each annual impairment assessment and any interim impairment assessment in which indicators of impairment have been identified, the Company compares the fair value of the asset as of the date of the assessment with the carrying value of the asset on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheet. In connection with its preparation of its financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2013, the Company determined that there were indicators that the value of the VX-222 intangible asset had become impaired. This determination was based on (a) preliminary safety, tolerability and efficacy data from a Phase 2 clinical trial of VX-222, telaprevir and ribavirin, which was received in March 2013 and analyzed through April 2013 and (b) a review of the existing and emerging data regarding all-oral regimens for HCV infection being developed by the Company's competitors that appear to be generally well tolerated with high sustained viral response ("SVR") rates for treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 HCV infection. After evaluating the data from this Phase 2 clinical trial, the Company determined that regimens containing VX-222 were unlikely to be competitive with the treatment regimens being developed by the Company's competitors. The Company evaluated the fair value of VX-222 from the perspective of a market participant and based on this analysis determined that the fair value of VX-222 was zero as of March 31, 2013. Accordingly, the Company recorded a $412.9 million impairment charge in the nine months ended September 30, 2013. In connection with this impairment charge, the Company recorded a credit of $127.6 million in its provision for income taxes. In the nine months ended September 30, 2013, the increase to the Company's net loss attributable to Vertex related to this impairment charge, net of the tax credit, was $285.3 million, and the net increase to the Company's net loss per share attributable to Vertex common shareholders was $1.28 per share. The field of HCV infection treatment is highly competitive and characterized by rapid technological advances and the development of drug candidates for the treatment of HCV infection is subject to numerous risks. Two of the Company's competitors have filed applications seeking approval for potentially competitive treatment regimens that include pegylated-interferon and ribavirin, and several of the Company's competitors are conducting Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating all-oral combinations of their drug candidates for the treatment of genotype 1 HCV infection. In July 2013, U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") placed a partial clinical hold on VX-135, which is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in combination with ribavirin. The partial clinical hold prevents the Company from evaluating a 200 mg dose of VX-135 in the United States following observation of reversible elevated liver enzymes in patients who received 400 mg of VX-135 in combination with ribavirin in a Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe. The Company has completed dosing of 100 mg of VX-135 in combination with ribavirin as part of the 12-week Phase 2 clinical trial in the United States. The 100 mg dose was well tolerated, no serious adverse events were reported and no liver or cardiac safety issues were identified. The Company recently completed dosing of 100 mg and 200 mg of VX-135 in combination with ribavirin as part of the 12-week Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe. Both the 100 mg and 200 mg doses were well tolerated, no serious adverse events were reported and no liver or cardiac safety issues were identified. The Company also is evaluating VX-135 in combination with daclatasvir, an NS5A replication complex inhibitor being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb, in a Phase 2 clinical trial in New Zealand. The Company evaluated this data and the related partial clinical hold and has concluded that it does not represent an indicator of impairment. The Company will continue to evaluate VX-135 for impairment each reporting period. If the fair value of the HCV nucleotide analogue program becomes impaired as the result of unfavorable safety or efficacy data from any ongoing or future clinical trial or because of any other information regarding the prospects of successfully developing or commercializing VX-135, the Company would incur significant charges in the period in which the impairment occurs. Goodwill As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, goodwill of $31.0 million was recorded on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets. There was no change to goodwill recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 or 2012.

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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