Amneal hires CLO

Bridgewater, New Jersey-based Amneal Pharmaceuticals has hired David Buchen to fill the newly expanded role of senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

He reports to president and CEO Robert Stewart and is responsible for leading Amneal’s global legal, intellectual property and corporate compliance functions, as well as using the company’s corporate legal strategies to drive the company’s growth.

Sheldon Hirt, Amneal’s senior vice president and general counsel, will remain on board through January to ensure a smooth transition before leaving the company to pursue other opportunities, according to a company statement.

Buchen most recently served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, providing counsel to various global and US manufacturing, marketing and distribution companies. Before launching his consultancy, Buchen held several executive roles, including chief legal officer and corporate secretary at Watson Pharmaceuticals, later rebranded as Actavis.

He also has legal expertise in areas such as antitrust, employment, litigation and M&A.

‘David is an exceptional legal talent and we are thrilled to have him on board to lead Amneal’s global legal team,’ Stewart says in a statement. ‘David’s extensive experience will be especially valuable as we continue to execute on our strategy to drive growth through a combination of internal development, innovative transactions and strategic M&A.

‘I want to thank Sheldon for his contributions since joining Amneal in 2016. Under his leadership, the legal team has successfully guided Amneal through the Impax and Gemini combinations and subsequent integration and restructuring, as well as various product launches and third-party transactions. We wish Sheldon well in his future endeavors.’