Biopharmaceutical company Vivus’ board of directors has appointed Michael Astrue chairman and Anthony Zook chief executive officer.

Astrue previously was chief executive officer of Transkaryotic Therapies, chairman of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council and commissioner of Social Security. Zook previously was executive vice president, global commercial operations for AstraZeneca and president of Medimmune.

Vivus sells obesity drug Qsymia (phentermine and topiramate extended-release) capsules CIV in the U.S.

"We intend to move quickly on our four main goals: expand use of Qsymia through targeted patient and physician education, find the right partner for Qsymia, quickly create a pathway for approval in Europe and eliminate expenses not essential to expanding use of Qsymia,” said Astrue.

"Obesity is a growing disaster for Americans,” said Zook. “Aside from its human costs, it creates economic costs due to associated comorbidities such as diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and depression. Our mission is to ensure at-risk patients and their physicians know about Qsymia and have the information necessary to determine whether Qsymia can help address this condition."