Compensation
Among those who connected salary increases to swapping out employers, 75% saw pay rise by at least 6%, and the most often cited increase was 10%, according to the just-released BioSpace salary report.
BioSpace‘s 2026 U.S. Life Sciences Salary Report delivers a comprehensive look at how salaries, bonuses and benefits evolved over the past year amid ongoing economic pressure and workforce recalibration. It uncovers not just what people are earning, but how they’re thinking about compensation, career moves and total rewards in 2026.
BioSpace did a deep dive into executive pay, examining the highest compensation packages, pay ratios and golden parachutes—what a CEO would get paid to leave.
As Q1 2025 earnings season continues, tariffs remain top of mind for pharma CEOs and investors. Meanwhile, the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual event kicks off this year’s oncology conference season. Plus, will the FDA become politicized under HHS Secretary RFK Jr.?
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary talks about his plans to revamp drug development and reduce ‘conflicts of interest’ between the agency and pharma industry; Roche and Regeneron jump on the U.S. manufacturing train as Trump’s tariffs loom; and Eli Lilly scores a big win for orforglipron while Novo Nordisk reveals it has applied for FDA approval of its oral semaglutide.
Executives don’t just get paid big bucks to operate a company. Sometimes they get paid millions to walk away.
Johnson & Johnson’s Joaquin Duato is no longer the highest paid CEO in pharma. Meanwhile, just two women make the top 10.
The 9% average salary increase from 2023 to 2024 was the largest for life sciences professionals since 2021. Several factors could be behind the spike, including companies providing higher pay because bonuses and stock compensation went down.
One of the lowest paid CEOs in pharma—and one of the only woman leading a top-tier giant—is set to receive up to $27.2 million in 2025.
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