Big Pharma

American

[big fahr-muh] / ˈbɪg ˈfɑr mə /

Or big pharma

noun

pharmaceutical companies considered collectively, especially with reference to their political and commercial influence.

The article attributes rising medical costs to private healthcare, Big Pharma, and insurance.

Etymology

Origin of Big Pharma

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“That will be a giant headwind for big pharma companies. It will be hard for them to replace those revenue streams through organic research and development.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026

"There hasn't been an incentive for big pharma to jump in, because it's not a money-maker," said the researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

The facilities are a quietly purring economic engine, injecting billions in investment, employment and anchoring the tech multinationals which, coupled with big pharma, fund over half of Ireland's corporate-tax take, according to analysts.

From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025

Talks with Pfizer and other big pharma companies fizzled out, though, after the potential partners opted to hold onto their assets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Tariff risks are easing: To minimize tariff risks, big pharma companies are setting up manufacturing in the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023