In the event that First Manhattan wins the ongoing replacement shakeup against Vivus Inc, Anthony Zook said that he will take over the chief executive officer position. Vivus Inc is backed by First Manhattan Company, which hopes to change the drugs and pharmaceuticals firm's board and management.

Zook previously held the position of executive vice president for global commercial operations at AstraZeneca Plc, a pharma company based in London, United Kingdom. Zook spearheded the marketing campaing of products such as Nexium, Crestor, and Symbiocort which posted a total revenue of more than US$13 billion for AstraZeneca.

First Manhattan cited the reason for its planned hiring of Zook, saying "He has an extraordinary track record of launching blockbuster drugs in the U.S. primary care market."

"We are confident he will do the same with Qsymia," said Sam Colin, First Manhattan's senior managing partner.

The conflict between the backer and the business is considered by Vivus as a "serious threat" to the pricing of the shares, and ultimately to the shareholders. The investor expressed its concern over Vivus' initial sales plan for its Qsymia brand, an anti-obesity drug.