'anti-pharmaceutical' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti', meaning 'against') and 'pharmaceutical' (from Late Latin/Greek via French), where 'pharmakon' in Greek meant 'drug' or 'medicine'.

'pharmaceutical' comes from French/Latin forms (e.g. French 'pharmaceutique', Late Latin 'pharmaceuticus') derived from Greek 'pharmakeutikos' (related to 'pharmakon'). The compound 'anti-pharmaceutical' is a modern English formation using the productive prefix 'anti-' plus the existing adjective/noun 'pharmaceutical', attested in contemporary discourse about medicine and industry practices.

Initially each element meant 'against' and 'relating to drugs/medicine' respectively; combined in modern usage the compound specifically denotes opposition to pharmaceutical drugs or the pharmaceutical industry rather than a general 'against medicine' stance.