Mobile, ALABAMA, May 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Helios Alliance announced today its support for the appointment of Dr. Rahul Gupta, member of The Helios Alliance Leadership Team, to the Board of Trustees of the Knoa Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and oversees Knoa Pharma LLC. The announcement comes as Alabama and states across the nation prepare to deploy hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid settlement resources through frameworks designed to ensure accountability, transparency and measurable impact.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, member of The Helios Alliance Leadership Team and newly appointed trustee of the Knoa Foundation Board of Trustees
Knoa Pharma emerged May 1 following the conclusion of Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Under the $7.4 billion settlement, Purdue Pharma permanently ceased operations, and its manufacturing assets were transferred to Knoa Pharma, a company 100 percent owned by the newly formed Knoa Foundation. The settlement, which involves 55 attorneys general representing all eligible states and territories, prohibits Knoa from marketing opioids and requires independent monitoring to ensure medicines are delivered safely and responsibly.
Dr. Gupta served as Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy from November 2021 to January 2025, becoming the first physician to lead the agency. In that role, he coordinated the nation's $44 billion drug control budget across 19 federal agencies and led efforts credited with expanding access to addiction treatment and making naloxone available over the counter — actions that saved tens of thousands of American lives. He currently serves as President of GATC Health, an AI-driven technology company focused on drug discovery, precision medicine and predictive analytics.
"Dr. Gupta's appointment to this role represents exactly the kind of leadership the opioid crisis demands — someone who understands the science, the policy and the human cost, and who has demonstrated the ability to translate that understanding into systems that save lives," said Caroline Etherton, chair of The Helios Alliance. "We are proud that he serves on our Leadership Team, and we are confident that his work with the Knoa Foundation will advance the accountability and transparency this moment requires."
The Helios Alliance has worked closely with Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall to develop a statewide framework for the responsible deployment of opioid settlement funds. Through Project Persevere in Mobile and Mobile County, the Alliance has demonstrated a data-driven, community-centered model that Marshall has championed for statewide expansion through Project RenewAL. In March, Marshall and the Alliance announced a partnership to conduct a statewide baseline assessment in collaboration with the Alabama League of Municipalities — work that will inform how settlement resources are allocated across Alabama's cities, counties and communities.
"Alabama was among the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, and we intend to show the nation what lasting recovery looks like," Attorney General Marshall said in March. "This is a generational opportunity, and it belongs to our local leaders. No one understands this crisis better than the people living it, and no one has a more important role in solving it. The settlement funds are here, and the Helios approach gives our communities the tools to put them to work."
The Knoa Foundation Board of Trustees also includes Dr. Paul Rothman, former CEO of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and chair of the Foundation's Board, and David Saltzman, co-founder of The Robin Hood Foundation and the Atria Health and Research Institute. Steve Bullock, former governor and attorney general of Montana, will serve as an independent monitor to ensure Knoa Pharma adheres to the settlement's strict injunctions.
The transformation of Purdue Pharma into Knoa Pharma marks a historic shift in how the pharmaceutical industry is held accountable for its role in the opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, aggressively marketed prescription opioids for two decades despite mounting evidence of addiction and overdose deaths. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after facing thousands of lawsuits from states, cities and individuals harmed by the epidemic.
Under the settlement, the Sackler family — Purdue's owners — is permanently barred from selling opioids in the United States and will pay more than $1.5 billion now, followed by additional payments through 2029. Purdue is also paying approximately $900 million. Most settlement funds are expected to be distributed within the first three years.
States are already receiving substantial distributions. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced May 2 that the state will receive nearly $150 million from the Purdue settlement, bringing North Carolina's total opioid settlement funds to $1.6 billion. Similar distributions are underway nationwide.
"We cannot allow this crisis to fade into yesterday's news," Dr. Gupta said in March regarding Alabama's statewide opioid abatement work. "More than 77,000 families a year are still losing someone they love. That reality demands sustained focus, accountability and long-term commitment."
Through Project Persevere, The Helios Alliance coordinates 16 organizations across the full spectrum of opioid response in Mobile and Mobile County, funded through settlement resources in partnership with the City of Mobile and Mobile County. As of March 2026, those programs have served 9,247 individuals, provided 68,625 services and expended $1.4 million in settlement resources — 65 percent of total allocated funds. The Alliance is now working with Attorney General Marshall and the Alabama League of Municipalities to scale that model statewide, ensuring Alabama's settlement resources are deployed with the same rigor, transparency and community engagement that has defined the Mobile approach.
###
ABOUT THE HELIOS ALLIANCE The Helios Alliance is a national leader in data-driven opioid abatement strategy, bringing transformative, evidence-based approaches to one of the most complex public health crises in American history. Through Project Persevere, the Alliance coordinates 16 organizations across the full spectrum of opioid response — from prevention through long-term recovery — funded through opioid settlement resources in partnership with the City of Mobile and Mobile County. What began as a Mobile-based proof of concept has evolved into a statewide expansion: the Alliance is now working with Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and the Alabama League of Municipalities to scale that model across Alabama through Project RenewAL. The Helios approach — combining rigorous data modeling, transparent evaluation processes, community-centered implementation and accountability frameworks — represents a first-of-its-kind model for how settlement resources can be deployed to achieve measurable, sustained impact. For more information, visit theheliosalliance.com.
ABOUT DR. RAHUL GUPTA Dr. Rahul Gupta currently serves as President of GATC Health, an AI-driven technology company focused on drug discovery, precision medicine and predictive analytics. From November 2021 to January 2025, he served as Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, becoming the first physician to lead the agency. He previously served as Chief Medical and Health Officer at March of Dimes and as West Virginia's Health Commissioner under two governors. Dr. Gupta holds academic appointments as Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine and visiting faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He serves on The Helios Alliance Leadership Team.
ABOUT THE KNOA FOUNDATION The Knoa Foundation is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization established as part of the Purdue Pharma settlement to own and oversee Knoa Pharma LLC. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees with no prior connection to Purdue Pharma and is committed to ensuring that Knoa Pharma operates responsibly, sustainably and transparently in service of public health. For more information, visit knoapharma.com.
Press Inquiries
Stacy Wellborn
stacy [at] stacywellborn.com
2515332361
https://www.theheliosalliance.com/
1100 Dauphin St, Suite E - Container Yard
