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

Biden's Inflation Reduction Act was the first to crack the pharma shield, but Trump has never been a big fan of big pharma, and he's come in with guns blazing. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Jan. 2026

The industry is now in a strong position to continue the momentum, thanks to a robust innovation landscape for large pharmas like Bayer looking to acquire or partner with biotechs, or license new potential drugs. —Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

The Danish pharma has stolen a march on its US rival Eli Lilly with the pill, which received approval from the US regulator just before Christmas, said Julia Kollewe in The Guardian. —The Week Uk, TheWeek, 11 Jan. 2026

In a new First Opinion essay, two pharma experts argue that this isn’t anything new, but rather part of a decades-long cycle. —Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 8 Jan. 2026

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