I am a PhD in statistics. The problem is if you major in math, you will have to take abstract algebra and real analysis. They are very interesting and abstract, but for pharmacy? I do not think that you will need to prove whether somehting is Lebesgue integrable or measureable or not? And will you have to show that a set is a sigma algebra? Prove whether the following set is a ring or a group? These type of courses are not easy at all. But it is just like engineering, it is easier if you truly enjoy the subject matter. If you are taking these courses to graduate, then they will seem awful.
If your school offers an UNDERGRAD stat major you will probably have to take one or two semesters of real analysis but no abstract algebra. Real analysis is essentially proving every theorem that you learned in calcs I-III. In some countries Calculus IS real analysis.
Well, if you enjoy this go right ahead!!
Also with math, check out the actuarial field. There are a series of eight exams. To get employed you need to pass two to three. These are very hard. But if you have five years of working experience and don't fail any exam WHILE ON THE JOB more than twice, you can earn what a pharmacist earns or probably even more. If you pass all eight exams and work for a consulting firm your salary will be $120,000. The entry level is more like $45,000-$50000. But that is probably A LOT MORE stress than the most difficult pharmacy school. I will take the first exam in May which is pure probability (calculus based). Warning: you have to know the tricks inside out which are usually taught in a masters level first semester statistics theory course.
And by the way, the pharmaceutical companies do hire PhD-level statisticians. I myself have had a VERY hard time applying to internships at those places. During a phone interview for internship, Merck had even asked me if I did Java software development, which is not related to my major at all! Why? There are international students coming with CS majors ON top of stat majors. That is, an undergrad in CS with years of work experience in wherever, and THEN getting a PhD in statistics. And this is not an isolate incident. Many students are doing this type of thing. So I would really like to work in pharmaceutical company as a statistician but because of my "lack of work experience" it seems impossible for me to even get an internship. Frustrating.
So what do the statisticians earn in the pharm companies? About the same as a pharmacist. The starting for Merck (WITH PHD) and Lilly is $82,000 and for AMGEN and Sanofi-Aventis which is in a higher cost of living area (Thousand Oaks, CA) and (Bridgewater, NJ) respectively, the starting salary is $91,000. And with 5 years of experience along with a PhD you can earn $100,000. So the salaries for statisticians with PhD in pharm companies is about the same as that of a pharmacist.
