Earnings Per Share - Schedule of Earnings Per Share Computation Statement (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share
Net income attributable to Vertex common shareholders	$ 57,518	$ 128,746	$ 593,576	$ 546,369
Basic net income attributable to Vertex per common share calculation:
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities	0	(14)	0	(161)
Net income attributable to Vertex common shareholders—basic	$ 57,518	$ 128,732	$ 593,576	$ 546,208
Basic weighted-average common shares outstanding (in shares)	256,946	254,905	256,289	254,096
Basic net income attributable to Vertex per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.22	$ 0.51	$ 2.32	$ 2.15
Diluted net income attributable to Vertex per common share calculation:
Less: Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities	$ 0	$ (13)	$ 0	$ (158)
Net income attributable to Vertex common shareholders—diluted	$ 57,518	$ 128,733	$ 593,576	$ 546,211
Effect of potentially dilutive securities:
Employee stock purchase program (in shares)	13	25	14	20
Weighted-average shares used to compute diluted net income per common share (in shares)	260,473	259,788	260,182	258,972
Diluted net income attributable to Vertex per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.22	$ 0.50	$ 2.28	$ 2.11
Stock options
Effect of potentially dilutive securities:
Share-based payment arrangements (in shares)	2,080	2,962	2,297	2,990
Restricted stock and restricted stock units (including PSUs)
Effect of potentially dilutive securities:
Share-based payment arrangements (in shares)	1,434	1,896	1,582	1,866