pharma

noun

phar·​ma ˈfär-mə How to pronounce pharma (audio)
: a pharmaceutical company
also : large pharmaceutical companies as a group

Examples of pharma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sales of the Danish pharma giant’s diabetes and obesity drugs grew 25% year over year to 60.9 billion Danish Krone ($8.7 billion) in the first quarter of 2024. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 2 May 2024 Fortune Weight loss for less Danish pharma sensation Novo Nordisk fell under the spotlight for the wrong reasons last week. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pharma 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pharma.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

short for pharmaceutical

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pharma was in 1992

Dictionary Entries Near pharma

pharm

pharma

pharmaceutical

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Pharma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pharma. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

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Medical Definition

pharma

noun
phar·​ma ˈfär-mə How to pronounce pharma (audio)
: 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
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