pharma

noun

phar·​ma ˈfär-mə 

: a pharmaceutical company

also : large pharmaceutical companies as a group

Examples of pharma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Danish pharma giant framed the deals as a way to expand its customer base as the federal government cracks down on compounded versions of Wegovy. —Kevin Ryan, Quartz, 29 Apr. 2025

Some pharma companies, including Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson, already began expanding in the U.S. before Trump took office. —Michelle Fox, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2025

Pockets of Wall Street are still bullish on those pharma stocks after a rough year for the group, however. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2024

And through it all, animal pharma companies have remained set on further expanding factory farming in the US and around the globe. —Kenny Torrella, Vox, 1 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for pharmaceutical

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pharma

• dharma
• karma

Medical Definition

pharma

noun

phar·​ma ˈfär-mə 

: a pharmaceutical company

But the rate at which pharmas have grown in size pales beside the acceleration of relevant scientific knowledge during the same period.

—Science

also : large pharmaceutical companies as a group

Another issue pharma will face is an even more cost-conscious consumer as a result of insurers continuing to pass on additional costs to their members.

—Shaun Urban, Medical Marketing and Media

The Medicare prescription drug benefit enacted in 2003, and scheduled to go into effect in 2006, promises a windfall for big pharma since it forbids the government from negotiating prices.

—Marcia Angell, The New York Review of Books