Purdue Pharma names Craig Landau as new president and CEO

Craig Landau has been named president and CEO for Purdue Pharma L.P.”™s U.S. operations. He served as president and CEO of

craig landau purdue pharma — Craig Landau

Purdue Pharma (Canada) since 2013 and will retain the leadership responsibility for that company. Landau replaces Mark Timney, whom the Stamford-based company said was “leaving Purdue to pursue other career opportunities.”

The moves come at a challenging time for Purdue, which is facing a growing number of lawsuits over its alleged complicity in contributing to the opioid crisis nationwide; in particular, its marketing of the drug OxyContin has come under fire. On Wednesday, Missouri became the third state to file such a lawsuit, accusing Purdue, Johnson & Johnson and units of Endo International Plc of fraudulently misrepresenting the risks of opioid painkillers.

Landau joined Purdue Pharma in 1999 and rose through the ranks, serving as chief medical officer and vice president of research and development innovation, clinical and medical affairs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physiology and anatomy from Cornell University and his M.D. from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completing his anesthesiology residency at Yale University. He is also a U.S. Army veteran, retiring after 14 years in 2005 with the rank of major.