Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC announced the hiring of David Buchen as its senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

It is not clear when Buchen starts or if he already started. He will report to president and CEO Robert Stewart and be responsible for leading Amneal's global legal, intellectual property and corporate compliance functions.

“David is an exceptional legal talent and we are thrilled to have him on board to lead Amneal's global legal team,” Stewart said in the Jan. 4 press release. “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.”

According to the press release, he replaces Sheldon Hirt as the company's top lawyer. Hirt will stay on until the end of January to help with the transition and then will pursue “other professional opportunities.” Hirt joined Amneal in 2016 as the senior vice president and general counsel after leaving Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

“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,” Stewart said in the news release.

A spokesperson for Amneal did not return a phone call seeking further comment Tuesday.

Buchen was the general counsel of Actavis in 2015 when it bought the Canadian pharmaceutical company Allergan in a cash and stock deal for $66 billion. Buchen most recently acted as a consultant to several pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. He graduated from the George Washington University Law School and was previously recognized as one of the top 50 general counsels by The National Law Journal.

Amneal, headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, is a pharmaceutical company focused on creating and distributing generic, brand and biosimilar products. The company has approximately 6,500 employees and has operations in North America, Asia and Europe, according to the press release.