When you hear the name Purdue Pharma, your brain probably goes straight to the Sackler family. Maybe you think of Richard Sackler hunched over an email or the glossy, villainous portrayals in Dopesick and Painkiller. It makes sense. They were the faces of the company for decades. But honestly, if you look at who is actually running the show right now, the story is way more corporate and, frankly, a lot more complicated than a TV drama suggests.
The current Purdue Pharma CEO is Dr. Craig Landau.
He isn't a Sackler. He’s a physician who has been with the company since the late 90s, taking the top spot in 2017. Since then, his job hasn't exactly been about selling pills; it's been about navigating one of the most hated companies in America through a bankruptcy minefield that has lasted over six years. As of January 2026, the company is on the literal brink of disappearing forever.
The Man in the Eye of the Storm
Craig Landau took over from Mark Timney in June 2017. At that point, the legal walls weren't just closing in—they were collapsing. You’ve got to wonder why anyone would want that job. Landau had spent years in the R&D and medical side of things, specifically in Canada, before being tapped to lead the U.S. operations.
Basically, he inherited a burning building.
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Under his watch, Purdue made some massive shifts. Most notably, in February 2018, Landau directed the company to stop sending sales reps to doctor's offices to pitch opioids. That was a huge deal because those "boots on the ground" were exactly what the government used to prove Purdue was fueling the crisis. He’s often argued in legal filings that since he became the Purdue Pharma CEO, his focus has been on "reorganization" rather than "promotion."
But don't think he's walked away unscathed.
State attorneys general, particularly in Massachusetts, went after him personally. They argued that even if he wasn't a Sackler, he was part of the machinery. Landau has spent a significant portion of his tenure defending his own actions in court, claiming he wasn't responsible for the aggressive marketing tactics that happened while he was in the medical department.
What’s Happening Right Now in 2026?
We are currently in a weird "lame duck" period for the company. In late 2025, a federal bankruptcy judge finally gave the green light to a massive $7.4 billion reorganization plan.
Here is the gist of what’s changing:
- Purdue Pharma is being dissolved. It won't exist soon.
- A new company called Knoa Pharma is taking its place.
- The Sacklers are officially out. No ownership, no board seats, no say.
- The profits from Knoa won't go to shareholders; they'll go to a public trust to fund addiction treatment and overdose reversal meds.
As the Purdue Pharma CEO during this transition, Landau’s role is basically to oversee the handoff. He’s essentially the executor of a corporate estate. It’s a strange position to be in—running a company whose primary goal is to stop existing so it can pay back the people it harmed.
The Sackler Shadow
You can't talk about the CEO without mentioning the people who used to tell him what to do. Richard Sackler was the president until 2003, but the family stayed on the board until 2018.
That's where things get murky.
The Sacklers are paying up to $7 billion as part of this 2026 settlement. The big "catch" that everyone is talking about right now? The U.S. Supreme Court stepped in a while back and said the Sacklers couldn't get a "get out of jail free" card (legal immunity) if they didn't personally file for bankruptcy. So, while the company is settling, the family members themselves can still be sued by people who didn't sign onto the deal.
Is the Leadership Actually Different?
Critics will tell you that the internal culture of a company doesn't change just because the name on the CEO's door does. But Landau’s supporters point to the fact that he's a doctor who has pushed for the development of "rescue medicines"—things like naloxone—to help fix the mess the company helped create.
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It's a "clean up on aisle five" situation, but the aisle is the entire country.
If you’re looking for a simple hero or villain here, you won't find one. Landau is a corporate survivor. He's a guy who knows where all the bodies are buried because he was there for the burial, but he’s also the only one left with the keys to the building.
Real Talk: Why This Matters to You
If you or a family member are part of the thousands of claimants waiting for a check, the stability of the Purdue Pharma CEO role actually matters. If the leadership fumbles this final bankruptcy exit in 2026, the money gets tied up even longer.
We are looking at roughly $850 million set aside specifically for individual victims. If you had a prescription for OxyContin and suffered because of it, your payout depends on this reorganization going smoothly. Most people are looking at payments between $8,000 and $16,000, which, let’s be honest, feels like a drop in the bucket for many, but it's the reality of the settlement.
Moving Forward: What to Watch
The "new" company, Knoa Pharma, is expected to fully emerge by the spring of 2026. At that point, the title of Purdue Pharma CEO becomes a historical footnote.
If you want to stay on top of this, here is what you should do:
- Monitor the Kroll Restructuring site. This is where the actual court documents live. It’s dry, but it’s the only place for 100% facts.
- Check your claim status. If you filed a personal injury claim, the disbursement of funds is scheduled to begin later this year.
- Watch the document dump. Part of the deal is that Purdue has to release millions of internal documents. We are about to learn a lot more about what happened behind closed doors during Landau’s early years and the Sacklers' final days.
The era of Purdue is ending, but the fallout is just entering a new, very public phase.