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

Breadth is what separates a durable business from a one-drug pharma, and Amgen is getting contribution from every segment. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026

The McKinsey Global Institute predicted that generative AI could unlock $60 billion to $110 billion a year in value for pharma and medtech—and just about every organization chasing that number is running the same playbook to get there. — Nataliya Andreychuk, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

While not a traditional psychedelic, the embrace of a ketamine derivative reveals the extent to which pharma companies are starting to explore non-traditional treatments. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 11 Aug. 2026

Hundreds of thousands this year alone from big banks, big pharma, union-busting companies and tech companies. — Readers Speak, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 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