Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc (Amneal)(Nasdaq: AMRX), an integrated pharmaceutical company, announced on Friday the appointment of David A. Buchen to the newly expanded role of senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

In his new role, Buchen will report to president and CEO Robert Stewart. Buchen will be responsible for leading Amneal's global legal, Intellectual Property (IP) and corporate compliance functions, as well as aligning the company's corporate legal strategies to drive Amneal's continued growth.

Also, to ensure a smooth leadership transition, Amneal's senior vice president, general counsel, Sheldon Hirt, will remain on board through January 2019 before leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.

Most recently, Buchen served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, providing counsel to various global and US manufacturing, marketing and distribution companies. Prior to establishing his consultancy, he held several executive leadership roles, including serving as EVP – Commercial, North American Generics and International, as well as 12 years as chief legal officer and corporate secretary at Watson Pharmaceuticals (rebranded as Actavis plc).

Amneal Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing generic, brand and biosimilar products.