'pharmaceutical-supporting' originates from English, specifically the combination of 'pharmaceutical' and 'supporting', where 'pharmaceutical' ultimately comes from Greek 'pharmakeutikos' meaning 'pertaining to drugs' and 'supporting' comes from Latin 'supportare' meaning 'to carry under' or 'to support'.

'pharmaceutical' changed from Greek 'pharmakon' to Latin 'pharmaceuticus', then to French 'pharmaceutique', and entered English as 'pharmaceutical'. 'Supporting' evolved from Latin 'supportare' through Old French and Middle English forms (eg. 'supporten') and became modern English 'support' with the participle 'supporting'.

Initially, the elements meant 'pertaining to drugs' and 'providing support' separately; over time they combined into a compound adjective meaning 'providing support to pharmaceutical activities or the pharmaceutical industry'.