pharma

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

Definition of pharma

: a pharmaceutical company also : large pharmaceutical companies as a group

Examples of pharma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The molecules aren’t a slam dunk, and would take perhaps a year of lab work to refine—meaning the AI wouldn’t save a big pharma company much time, if any. Wired, "A Molecule Designed By AI Exhibits 'Druglike' Qualities," 2 Sep. 2019 Max Nisen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, pharma and health care. Max Nisen, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: The government wants your DNA — don’t run away," 25 Aug. 2019 Max Nisen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, pharma and health care. Washington Post, "Trump’s Week of Drug-Price Failures Has a Silver Lining," 12 July 2019 The academic labs are also partnering with big pharma and ag companies, and corporate involvement could poison the well. Tamar Haspel, Vox, "The public doesn’t trust GMOs. Will it trust CRISPR?," 24 July 2018 Less than two percent of what pharma companies earn on contraceptives go back into research and development of new methods, according to the Gates Foundation. Courtney Hamilton Knight, Glamour, "We Have the Same Birth Control Options as Our Grandmothers. We Need a Better Plan A.," 26 Aug. 2019 The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that pharma giants Pfizer and Mylan are nearing a deal that could create a global powerhouse in the low-price drug market. Jackie Wattles, CNN, "Pfizer and Mylan reportedly near merger deal for low-priced drugs," 27 July 2019 Your corrupt pharma giant is called Dr. Smile; his wife is named Happy. Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, "Salman Rushdie on Corruption and the Opioid Crisis," 22 July 2019 Now that there’s been a death, the agency might have to reconsider, and one consequence could be that a still-grassroots procedure based on donations moves into the realm of pharma companies, intellectual property, and much higher costs. Maryn Mckenna, WIRED, "The Death of a Patient and the Future of Fecal Transplants," 11 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pharma.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of pharma

1992, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for pharma

short for pharmaceutical

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More Definitions for pharma

pharma

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

Medical Definition of pharma

: 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, 13 Apr. 2001 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, February 2011 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, 15 July 2004