Vivus endocrine/metabolic news

Vivus investor First Manhattan Co. said Anthony Zook agreed to serve as the biotech's CEO if First Manhattan's slate of proposed directors are elected to the Vivus board at the company's upcoming July 15 annual general meeting. Zook was president of the MedImmune LLC biologics unit of AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN, London, U.K.) in 2008-09 and was EVP for global commercial operations at AstraZeneca until February.

First Manhattan, which has been a Vivus shareholder since 2008 and holds a 9.9% stake, has been dissatisfied with Vivus' launch of obesity drug Qsymia phentermine/topiramate, which had 1Q13 revenues of $4.1 million. The firm has proposed a slate of nine directors for Vivus' board (see BioCentury, May 27). ...