Pharma sales jobs may not be among the highest paying jobs in medical
sales, but the average pharmaceutical sales rep salary is impressive by most
standards. According to the 2015 Medical Sales Salary Report, the average pharmaceutical
sales salary is $116,334 (Med. $115,000), and the average specialty pharma
salary is $134,414 (Med. $125,000) for a combined average of $124,622.
About the Survey
The 5th Annual Medical Sales Salary survey collected income and
demographic data from more than 3,000 medical and pharmaceutical sales
professionals. These responses were compiled and evaluated to determine how
medical sales salaries are impacted by factors such as products sold, company
size, travel, experience, and even age and gender.
Together, pharma and specialty pharma professionals accounted for 24% of
the survey respondents. The majority work for manufacturers in a field sales
role. Traditional pharma reps and specialty pharma reps are different in that
pharma reps usually call on primary care doctors, while specialty pharma reps
call on specialists such as oncologists, cardiologists, or dermatologists.
Specialty pharma reps typically represent drugs that are used to treat less
common diseases. As it turns out, another difference between the two is
how much money they make. As noted above, specialty pharma salaries are
significantly higher than pharma sales salaries.