Steinfeld has been at the forefront of the agency’s recent legal battles over attempts by a number of states to restrict the use of prescriber-identifiable information for marketing purposes.

The company recently sought a Supreme Court review of a New Hampshire law that would enact such a ban, however the review was denied.

Steinfeld has been with IMS since 1998 when the company was spun-off from its predecessor Cognizant, where he had been director of taxes.

At IMS he was promoted to vice president of taxes, before moving up to senior vice president of tax and corporate development. In 2000, he was made SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary.

In an SEC filing, IMS said Steinfeld “will be entitled to certain payments and benefits in connection with his departure and as a retiree”, including a lump sum payment equal to approximately two times his salary.

Last week IMS announced it was cutting over 10% of its global workforce in response to a second-quarter decline in revenue that was worse than expected.