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

Big pharma companies including Pfizer, Sanofi, and AstraZeneca have inked major deals with Chinese biotech firms using AI for drug discovery, indicating the vast appetite for the use of the technology in the field, Rest of World reported. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026

The need-to-know this morning There are pharma earnings, and then there are Eli Lilly earnings. —Elaine Chen, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026

One study published in 2023 showed that, of the $165 million raised across the field two years earlier, only $23 million had come from pharma. —Ana Castelain, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026

But The Disciple walks you through every bad decision, every bit of pharma-bro trolling by OUATIS owner Martin Shkreli and every unfortunate turn of events in a way that most will not have heard before. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 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