Mark Nance, chief legal officer and general counsel at Insys Therapeutics Inc.

The maker of a potent opioid medication has brought on a heavy hitter in the pharmaceutical industry to lead its legal department during a tumultuous time.

Insys Therapeutics Inc. named Mark Nance chief legal officer and general counsel. He also will serve as a member of the Phoenix-based company's senior management team, according to a statement announcing his appointment.

Nance succeeds Franc Del Fosse, who will transition to the new position of senior vice president of corporate affairs.

Most recently, Nance was SVP and global GC at pharmaceutical giant Mylan N.V. Prior to joining Mylan in early 2012, he was GC at General Electric's pharmaceutical and life sciences businesses.

Nance could not immediately be reached for comment about his move.

Insys is a specialty pharmacy company that touts itself as committed to developing medications to potentially treat anaphylaxis, epilepsy, the genetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome, opioid addiction and overdose and other diseases with “a significant unmet need.”

It is arguably best known for its drug Subsys, a fentanyl-based oral spray medication meant to treat only patients with cancer pain. The drug has spawned both civil and criminal headaches for Insys.

Over the past three years, Subsys has been at the heart of lawsuits in several states alleging various causes of action, including wrongful death, negligence, fraud and violations of the U.S. Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Many, though not all, of these suits are part of an ongoing wave of litigation brought by states and municipalities against several opioid manufacturers and distributors alleging that their deceptive marketing practices helped lead to the the prescription opioid and heroin addiction epidemic gripping the nation.

In addition, Dr. John Kapoor, the owner of Insys, is facing several federal charges in Boston that he and his co-defendants, also Insys executives, bribed doctors to write large numbers of prescriptions for Subsys.

Last May, a New Jersey-based sales representative for Insys pleaded guilty for her part in the alleged scheme.

An Insys spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about these issues.

In a statement, Insys president and CEO Saeed Motahari referenced a transformation of the company.

“Mark brings to this position extensive experience in corporate legal strategy, an in-depth understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and an international perspective on business development that are essential to our long-term success,” he said.

A graduate of Cornell Law School, Nance also worked in the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps before law school, the statement said.