pharma

American  

[fahr-muh] / ˈfɑr mə /

noun

1. a pharmaceutical company or pharmaceutical companies considered collectively.

   He works for pharma.

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

   Pharma is expanding into China, hoping to replace local remedies with manufactured drugs.

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adjective

1. of or relating to pharmaceutical companies or the pharmaceutical industry.

   Pharma reps don't sell directly to doctors.

pharma British  

/ ˈfɑːmə /

noun

1. pharmaceutical companies when considered together as an industry

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Etymology

Origin of pharma

First recorded in 1990–95; short for pharmaceutical

Example Sentences

But if credit card lenders are the pharma and auto companies of this year, it could wind up being a very good one for them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors have been anticipating a surge in pharma deal activity in 2026 as drug makers look to replenish their pipelines and take advantage of lower interest rates.

From Barron's

Large pharma needs to do a lot of deals to combat all the revenue headwinds in the next decade.

From Barron's

Earlier reports in December suggested the pharma giant was exploring a deal to acquire Abivax.

From Barron's

The denial meant the shares spent most of Thursday’s trading in the red—until The Financial Times reported that Merck is in talks with the company and that other large pharma companies are also circling.

From Barron's