Pharma and Biotech Companies Provide Top Salaries: Survey

It’s no secret there’s money in the pharmaceutical industry. While chief executive officers and c-suite leaders are often noted for receiving large paychecks, some companies also offer lucrative compensation to employees.

This week, the Business Journals compiled a list of the 25 companies across the United States with the highest median salary for employees. According to the list, the median salaries for these companies ranged from $198,000 to $495,000. Of those companies listed, more than half were in the pharma or biotech industries. Some are large and some are small. Many of the companies have homes in the biotech hub of Boston.

• AVEO Pharmaceuticals – Coming in at number 25 on the Business Journals’ list, Aveo Pharmaceuticals provides median pay of $192,734. The company is based in Cambridge, Mass.
• TetraPhase Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Ranked at number 21 on the Business Journals’ list, the median employee pay at Watertown, Mass.-based Tetraphase is $198,734.
• Curis, Inc. – The median pay at Cambridge, Mass.-based Curis is $199,642. Curis ranked at number 20 on the list.
• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Ranked at number 18 on the Business Journals’ list, Alnylam’s median employee pay is $200,642.
• bluebird bio – Another Cambridge, Mass.-based stalwart, bluebird bio’s median employee pay is $205,167. The company ranked 17 on the list.
• Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Median employee pay for Boston-based Paratek is $206,453. The company ranked 16 on the Boston Business Journal’s list.
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals – Boston-based Vertex offers median employee pay of $211,511. The company ranked number 14 on the list.
• Blueprint Medicines Corp. – Ranked at number 12 on the list, Blueprint Medicines pays a median employee salary of $250,030.
• Incyte – Coming in at number 11 on the list, Wilmington, Del.-based Incyte offers a median salary of $253,015.
• Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – Based in Cambridge, Mass., Agios provides median pay of $253,115. The company ranked at number 10 on the list.
• Sarepta Therapeutics – With median pay of $256.151, Cambridge, Mass.-based Sarepta ranked number 9 on the Boston Business Journal’s list.
• Tesaro, Inc. – Coming in at number 8 on the list, North Waltham, Mass.-based Tesaro provides median pay of $344,329.
• Savara, Inc. – Based in Austin, Texas, Savara Inc. offers median pay of $367.864. The company ranked number 6 on the list.
• Infinity Pharmaceuticals – At number 2 on the Boston Business Journal list, Cambridge, Mass.-based Infinity Pharmaceuticals provides median pay of $495,513. Infinity was the highest-ranking pharma or biotech company on the list.

Compensation is certainly something that job seekers look for when applying, but there are also other factors that should be considered. BioSpace has conducted an Ideal Employer survey, which can assist job hunters with their search.