The Company	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
The Company	The Company PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (the Company or PTC) was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on March 31, 1998. PTC is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of orally administered, small molecule therapeutics targeting an area of RNA biology referred to as post-transcriptional control. The letters “PTC” in the corporate name are an acronym for post-transcriptional control processes, which are the regulatory events that occur in cells during and after a messenger RNA is copied from DNA through the transcription process. The Company has discovered all of its compounds currently under development using its proprietary technologies. The Company plans to continue to develop these compounds both on its own and through selective collaboration arrangements with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The Company believes that systematically targeting post-transcriptional control processes represents an unexploited approach to drug discovery and development. The Company’s internally discovered pipeline addresses multiple therapeutic areas, including rare disorders and oncology. The Company’s lead product, Translarna™ (ataluren) received marketing authorization from the European Commission in August 2014 for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients age 5 years and over in the 31 member states of the European Economic Area, or EEA. nmDMD is a rare, life threatening disorder. The Company’s marketing authorization in the EEA is subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization, which the Company refers to as the annual EMA reassessment. This marketing authorization is further subject to the specific obligation to conduct and submit the results of a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, 18-month, placebo-controlled trial, followed by an 18-month open-label extension, according to an agreed protocol, in order to confirm the efficacy and safety of Translarna in the approved patient population. The final report on the trial and open-label extension is to be submitted by the Company to the EMA by the end of the third quarter of 2021. The Company refers to the trial and open-label extension together as Study 041. The marketing authorization in the EEA was last renewed in January 2017 and is effective, unless extended, through August 5, 2017. The renewal was based on the Company’s commitment to conduct Study 041 and the totality of the clinical data available from its trials and studies of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, including the safety and efficacy results of the Phase 2b and Phase 3 clinical trials. The primary efficacy endpoint was not achieved in either trial within the pre-specified level of statistical significance. The Company submitted a marketing authorization renewal request to the EMA in February 2017. In June 2014, the Company initiated reimbursed early access programs, or EAP programs, for Translarna for nmDMD patients in selected territories in the EEA and recorded its first sales of Translarna in the third quarter of 2014 pursuant to an EAP program. In December 2014, the Company recorded its first commercial sales in Germany. As of December 31, 2016, Translarna was available in over 25 countries on a commercial basis or pursuant to the EAP program. The Company expects to expand its launch activities across the EEA pursuant to the marketing authorization granted by the EMA throughout 2017 and future years, subject to continued renewal of its marketing authorization following annual EMA reassessments and successful completion of pricing and reimbursement negotiations. Concurrently, the Company plans to continue to pursue EAP programs in select countries where those mechanisms exist, both within the EEA and in other countries that will reference the marketing authorization in the EEA. Translarna is an investigational new drug in the United States. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company filed a New Drug Application, or NDA, over protest with the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The FDA has granted a standard review for the NDA and has set a target review date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, of October 24, 2017. The PDUFA date is the goal date for the FDA to complete its review of the NDA, however, such date is not binding on the agency and there can be no assurance that the FDA will complete its review of our NDA by the PDUFA goal date. Filing over protest is a procedural path permitted by FDA regulations that allows a company to have its NDA filed and reviewed when there is a disagreement with regulators over the acceptability of the NDA submission. The NDA, which seeks approval of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the United States, was initially submitted by the Company in December 2015. In February 2016, following the initial submission, the Company received a Refuse to File letter from the FDA regarding the NDA. The FDA stated in the Refuse to File letter that the NDA was not sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. Specifically, the Company was notified in the letter that, in the view of the FDA, both the Phase 2b and Phase 3 ACT DMD trials were negative and do not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness and that the NDA did not contain adequate information regarding the abuse potential of Translarna. Additionally, the FDA stated that the Company had proposed a post-hoc adjustment of ACT DMD that eliminates data from a majority of enrolled patients. During July 2016, the Company appealed the Refuse to File decision via the formal dispute resolution process within FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; however, this appeal was denied by the FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation I in October 2016. On March 2, 2017, the Company announced that the primary and secondary endpoints were not achieved in ACT CF, the Company’s Phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week clinical trial comparing Translarna to placebo in nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis, or nmCF, patients six years of age or older not receiving chronic inhaled aminoglycosides. The safety profile of Translarna in the ACT CF study was consistent with previous studies and no new safety signals were identified. Based on the results of ACT CF, the Company plans to discontinue its current clinical development of Translarna for nmCF and close ongoing extension studies of Translarna for the treatment of nmCF. The Company has withdrawn its type II variation submission with the EMA, which sought approval of Translarna for the treatment of nmCF in the EEA. During 2016, the Company’s revenues were primarily generated from sales of Translarna in countries in the EEA where pricing and reimbursement approval is obtained at acceptable levels and in other territories where the Company is permitted to distribute Translarna under EAP programs. The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to those of other early stage companies, including dependence on key individuals, the difficulties inherent in the development of commercially usable products, the potential need to obtain additional capital necessary to fund the development of its products, and competition from other companies. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had an accumulated deficit of approximately $735.1 million. The Company has financed its operations to date primarily through the private offering in August 2015 of 3.00% convertible senior notes due 2022 (see Note 6), public offerings of common stock in February 2014 and October 2014, its initial public offering of common stock in June 2013, private placements of its convertible preferred stock, collaborations, bank debt, convertible debt financings, grant funding and clinical trial support from governmental and philanthropic organizations and patient advocacy groups in the disease area addressed by the Company’s product candidates.

The Company

PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (the Company or PTC) was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on March 31, 1998. PTC is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of orally administered, small molecule therapeutics targeting an area of RNA biology referred to as post-transcriptional control. The letters “PTC” in the corporate name are an acronym for post-transcriptional control processes, which are the regulatory events that occur in cells during and after a messenger RNA is copied from DNA through the transcription process. The Company has discovered all of its compounds currently under development using its proprietary technologies. The Company plans to continue to develop these compounds both on its own and through selective collaboration arrangements with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The Company believes that systematically targeting post-transcriptional control processes represents an unexploited approach to drug discovery and development. The Company’s internally discovered pipeline addresses multiple therapeutic areas, including rare disorders and oncology.

The Company’s lead product, Translarna™ (ataluren) received marketing authorization from the European Commission in August 2014 for the treatment of nmDMD in ambulatory patients age 5 years and over in the 31 member states of the European Economic Area, or EEA. nmDMD is a rare, life threatening disorder.

The Company’s marketing authorization in the EEA is subject to annual review and renewal by the European Commission following reassessment by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, of the benefit-risk balance of the authorization, which the Company refers to as the annual EMA reassessment. This marketing authorization is further subject to the specific obligation to conduct and submit the results of a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, 18-month, placebo-controlled trial, followed by an 18-month open-label extension, according to an agreed protocol, in order to confirm the efficacy and safety of Translarna in the approved patient population. The final report on the trial and open-label extension is to be submitted by the Company to the EMA by the end of the third quarter of 2021. The Company refers to the trial and open-label extension together as Study 041.

The marketing authorization in the EEA was last renewed in January 2017 and is effective, unless extended, through August 5, 2017. The renewal was based on the Company’s commitment to conduct Study 041 and the totality of the clinical data available from its trials and studies of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD, including the safety and efficacy results of the Phase 2b and Phase 3 clinical trials. The primary efficacy endpoint was not achieved in either trial within the pre-specified level of statistical significance. The Company submitted a marketing authorization renewal request to the EMA in February 2017.

In June 2014, the Company initiated reimbursed early access programs, or EAP programs, for Translarna for nmDMD patients in selected territories in the EEA and recorded its first sales of Translarna in the third quarter of 2014 pursuant to an EAP program. In December 2014, the Company recorded its first commercial sales in Germany. As of December 31, 2016, Translarna was available in over 25 countries on a commercial basis or pursuant to the EAP program. The Company expects to expand its launch activities across the EEA pursuant to the marketing authorization granted by the EMA throughout 2017 and future years, subject to continued renewal of its marketing authorization following annual EMA reassessments and successful completion of pricing and reimbursement negotiations. Concurrently, the Company plans to continue to pursue EAP programs in select countries where those mechanisms exist, both within the EEA and in other countries that will reference the marketing authorization in the EEA.

Translarna is an investigational new drug in the United States. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company filed a New Drug Application, or NDA, over protest with the United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The FDA has granted a standard review for the NDA and has set a target review date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, or PDUFA, of October 24, 2017. The PDUFA date is the goal date for the FDA to complete its review of the NDA, however, such date is not binding on the agency and there can be no assurance that the FDA will complete its review of our NDA by the PDUFA goal date. Filing over protest is a procedural path permitted by FDA regulations that allows a company to have its NDA filed and reviewed when there is a disagreement with regulators over the acceptability of the NDA submission. The NDA, which seeks approval of Translarna for the treatment of nmDMD in the United States, was initially submitted by the Company in December 2015. In February 2016, following the initial submission, the Company received a Refuse to File letter from the FDA regarding the NDA. The FDA stated in the Refuse to File letter that the NDA was not sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. Specifically, the Company was notified in the letter that, in the view of the FDA, both the Phase 2b and Phase 3 ACT DMD trials were negative and do not provide substantial evidence of effectiveness and that the NDA did not contain adequate information regarding the abuse potential of Translarna. Additionally, the FDA stated that the Company had proposed a post-hoc adjustment of ACT DMD that eliminates data from a majority of enrolled patients. During July 2016, the Company appealed the Refuse to File decision via the formal dispute resolution process within FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; however, this appeal was denied by the FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation I in October 2016.

On March 2, 2017, the Company announced that the primary and secondary endpoints were not achieved in ACT CF, the Company’s Phase 3 double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week clinical trial comparing Translarna to placebo in nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis, or nmCF, patients six years of age or older not receiving chronic inhaled aminoglycosides. The safety profile of Translarna in the ACT CF study was consistent with previous studies and no new safety signals were identified. Based on the results of ACT CF, the Company plans to discontinue its current clinical development of Translarna for nmCF and close ongoing extension studies of Translarna for the treatment of nmCF. The Company has withdrawn its type II variation submission with the EMA, which sought approval of Translarna for the treatment of nmCF in the EEA.

During 2016, the Company’s revenues were primarily generated from sales of Translarna in countries in the EEA where pricing and reimbursement approval is obtained at acceptable levels and in other territories where the Company is permitted to distribute Translarna under EAP programs. The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to those of other early stage companies, including dependence on key individuals, the difficulties inherent in the development of commercially usable products, the potential need to obtain additional capital necessary to fund the development of its products, and competition from other companies. As of December 31, 2016, the Company had an accumulated deficit of approximately $735.1 million. The Company has financed its operations to date primarily through the private offering in August 2015 of 3.00% convertible senior notes due 2022 (see Note 6), public offerings of common stock in February 2014 and October 2014, its initial public offering of common stock in June 2013, private placements of its convertible preferred stock, collaborations, bank debt, convertible debt financings, grant funding and clinical trial support from governmental and philanthropic organizations and patient advocacy groups in the disease area addressed by the Company’s product candidates.