Big Pharma
Americannoun
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.
Big Pharma firms have cut license deals worth tens of billions of dollars for cancer drugs invented in China.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
“It’s a genuine place to be. I worried about going into Big Pharma and feeling evil. Novo felt wonderful. It was so focused on patient care, on science.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Big Pharma needs this type of innovation: About $300 billion in annual sales will disappear by early next decade due to patents expiring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Big Pharma is on the prowl for biotech companies, but it’s being stingy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
There have been a flurry of acquisitions of biotech names by Big Pharma giants, an easing of worries around threatened drug price reform, and some good news from companies.
From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
