Former Iowa governor and U.S agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack will oversee Purdue Pharma’s marketing efforts to ensure the OxyContin maker is not overstating the benefits of its opioid painkillers or downplaying the danger of addiction.
Purdue Pharma announced the appointment today as part of its federal bankruptcy proceedings.
Vilsack worked on rural opioid issues under former President Barack Obama.
Purdue is facing more than 2,000 lawsuits over its role in the nation’s opioid crisis, which has been linked to more than 430,000 deaths in the U.S. since 2000.
The company entered bankruptcy court last year as part of an effort to settle those claims.
AP
