biopharmaceutical
|bi-o-pha-rma-ceu-ti-cal|
🇺🇸
/ˌbaɪ.oʊˌfɑr.məˈsuː.tɪ.kəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌbaɪ.əʊˌfɑː.məˈsjuː.tɪ.kəl/
drug from living systems
Etymology
'biopharmaceutical' originates from Modern English, combining the prefix 'bio-' (from Greek 'bios' meaning 'life') and 'pharmaceutical' (from Greek/Late Latin roots related to drugs and medicine).
'pharmaceutical' comes via Late Latin and Old French from Greek 'pharmakeutikos' (relating to drugs); 'bio-' comes from Greek 'bios' ('life'). The compound 'biopharmaceutical' developed in modern English in the late 20th century as biotechnology and drug development merged.
Initially the parts separately meant 'life' ('bio-') and 'relating to drugs' ('pharmaceutical'); over time the combined form came to mean specifically 'a drug or therapeutic product produced from biological sources or processes' rather than a general phrase linking life and medicine.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a medicinal product (drug) derived from biological sources or produced using biological processes, especially therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, cell therapies, or gene therapies.
Many patients benefit from biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.
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Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of biopharmaceuticals or the biopharmaceutical industry.
The biopharmaceutical company scaled up production of its new antibody therapy.
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Last updated: 2025/09/05 08:25