Intangible Assets and Goodwill	12 Months Ended
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Dec. 31, 2015
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	Intangible Assets and Goodwill Intangible Assets As of December 31, 2015, in-process research and development intangible assets of $284.3 million were recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The increase of $255.3 million as compared to the $29.0 million recorded as of December 31, 2014 is due to the Company’s collaboration with Parion. In June 2015, in connection with entering into the Parion Agreement, the Company recorded an in-process research and development intangible asset of $255.3 million based on the Company’s estimate of the fair value of Parion’s lead investigational ENaC inhibitors, including VX-371 and VX-551, that were licensed by the Company from Parion. The Company aggregated the fair value of the ENaC inhibitors into a single intangible asset because the phase, nature and risks of development as well as the amount and timing of benefits associated with the assets were similar. In October 2014, the Company recorded $29.0 million of an in-process research and development intangible asset on its consolidated balance sheet based on the Company’s estimate of the fair value of VX-210, a drug candidate for patients who have spinal cord injuries that is licensed from BioAxone by the Company. The Company used discount rates of 7.1% and 7.5% in the present-value models to estimate the fair values of the ENaC inhibitors and VX-210 intangible assets, respectively. The Company also conducted an evaluation of Parion and BioAxone’s other programs at the effective date of the Parion Agreement and BioAxone Agreement, respectively, and determined that market participants would not have ascribed value to those programs because of the stage of development of the assets in each program and uncertainties related to the potential development and commercialization of the programs. In 2013, the Company determined that there were indicators that the value of the VX-222 intangible asset acquired from ViroChem in 2010 of $412.9 million reflected on its consolidated balance sheet had become impaired. 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 based on, among other things, additional data regarding VX-222 and compounds being developed by other competitors. Accordingly, the Company recorded a $412.9 million impairment charge in 2013. In connection with this impairment charge, the Company recorded a credit of $127.6 million in its provision for income taxes. In 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 $1.27 per share. Goodwill As of December 31, 2015, goodwill of $50.4 million was recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. The Company allocated $10.5 million to goodwill related to the Parion collaboration during the year ended December 31, 2015. None of the goodwill related to the Parion collaboration is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes. As of December 31, 2014, $39.9 million was recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

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.