Use these links to rapidly review the document
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          1))

Filed by the Registrantý

Filed by a Party other than the Registranto

Check the appropriate box:

ýo

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement

o

 

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

oý

 

Definitive Proxy Statement

o

 

Definitive Additional Materials

o

 

Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

 

VIVUS, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

ý

 

No fee required.

o

 

Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
  (1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
         
  (2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
         
  (3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
         
  (4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
         
  (5) Total fee paid:
         

o

 

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

o

 

Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

 

(1)

 

Amount Previously Paid:
        
 
  (2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
         
  (3) Filing Party:
         
  (4) Date Filed:
         

Table of Contents

PRELIMINARY COPY - SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED MAY 28, 2013

VIVUS, INC.
1172 Castro Street351 East Evelyn Avenue
Mountain View, CA 9404094041



NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To be held on July 15, 2013September 12, 2014



TO THEOUR STOCKHOLDERS:

        NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of VIVUS, Inc., a Delaware corporation, (sometimes referred to herein as the Company), will be held on Monday, July 15, 2013,Friday, September 12, 2014, at 8:00 a.m., Pacificlocal time, at the New York Marriott East Side, 525 Lexington Avenue at 49th Street, New York, New York 10017 for the following purposes:

        The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice.

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on MayJuly 31, 20132014 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting.

        Our Board of Directors has selected the nine persons named in the attached Proxy Statement as its nominees for election to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. Each of our nominees is currently serving as a director of the Company.

        Please note that on May 1, 2013, in connection with its previously announced intention to present proposals at the Annual Meeting, First Manhattan filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, a preliminary proxy statement. On May 24, 2013, First Manhattan filed with the SEC an amended preliminary proxy statement presenting proposals to (i) nominate nine nominees for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting, or the First Manhattan Nominees, (ii) vote against the Company's proposal to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's named executive officers, (iii) ratify the appointment of OUM & Co., LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2013 and (iv) repeal any bylaw amendment in effect at the time of the Annual Meeting that was not included in our bylaws in effect as of April 18, 2012, as amended on February 20, 2013, and that is inconsistent with the election of the First Manhattan Nominees at the Annual Meeting. We do not endorse the election of any of the First Manhattan Nominees to become a director. You may receive proxy solicitation materials from


Table of Contents

First Manhattan, including an opposition proxy statement and a white proxy card.OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF ALL OF THE BOARD'S NOMINEES USING THE ENCLOSED GOLD PROXY CARD AND URGES YOU NOT TO SIGN OR RETURN OR VOTE ANY WHITE PROXY CARD SENT TO YOU BY OR ON BEHALF OF FIRST MANHATTAN. Even if you have previously signed a white proxy card sent by or on behalf of First Manhattan, you have the right to change your vote by telephone or by Internet by following the instructions on theGOLD proxy card, or by signing, dating and returning the enclosedGOLD proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. Only the latest dated proxy you submit will be counted. We urge you to disregard any white proxy card sent to you by or on behalf of First Manhattan.

        We are not responsible for the accuracy of any information provided by or relating to First Manhattan and their nominees contained in any proxy solicitation materials filed or disseminated by, or on behalf of, First Manhattan or any other statements that First Manhattan may otherwise make. First Manhattan chooses which stockholders receive its proxy solicitation materials.

        If you have any questions or require any assistance with voting your shares, or if you need additional copies of the proxy materials, please contact:

MORROW & CO., LLC
470 West Avenue
Stamford, CT 06902

Stockholders May Call Toll-Free: (800) 662-5200
Banks & Brokers May Call Collect: (203) 658-9400
Email: vivusinfo@morrowco.com



 By order of the Board of Directors

 

 


GRAPHICGRAPHIC

 

Leland F. WilsonSeth H. Z. Fischer
Chief Executive Officer

Mountain View, California
                        , 2013August 15, 2014


Table of Contents


YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

        ALL STOCKHOLDERS ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON. HOWEVER, TO ENSURE YOUR REPRESENTATION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, YOU ARE URGED TO VOTE BY TELEPHONE, BY THE INTERNET, OR BY COMPLETING, SIGNING, DATING, AND RETURNING THE ENCLOSED GOLD PROXY CARD IN THE ACCOMPANYING POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE. ANY STOCKHOLDER ATTENDING THE ANNUAL MEETING MAY VOTE IN PERSON EVEN IF SUCH STOCKHOLDER HAS RETURNED A PROXY. PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT IF YOUR SHARES ARE HELD OF RECORD BY A BANK, BROKER OR OTHER NOMINEE AND YOU WISH TO VOTE AT THE MEETING, YOU MUST OBTAIN A PROXY ISSUED IN YOUR NAME FROM THAT RECORD HOLDER.



Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to Be Held on July 15, 2013.September 12, 2014.    The Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Proxy Statement and our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2012, as supplemented by a Form 10-K/A, are available electronically at www.morrowco.com/VIVUS.www.edocumentview.com/VVUS. You are encouraged to access and review all of the important information contained in the Proxy Materials before voting.


Table of Contents


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
 Page 

INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING

  1 

General

  1 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND OUR 20132014 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

  2

PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROXY SOLICATION

91 

PROPOSAL NO. 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

  97 

Overview of Election of Directors

  97 

Background to the Board's Recommendation in Favor of Our Nominees

  9

Background to Potential Contested Solicitation

10

Recent Developments

127 

Biographical Information for Nominees

  138 

Required Vote

  1711

Board Recommendation

11 

PROPOSAL NO. 2: ADVISORY VOTE ON COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

  1811 

Proposal

  1811 

Required Vote

  1912

Board Recommendation

13 

PROPOSAL NO. 3: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

  1913 

Proposal

  1913 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

  1913 

Pre-Approval Policy and Procedures

  2014 

Required Vote

  2115

Board Recommendation

15 

PROPOSAL NO. 4: STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALAPPROVAL OF AN AMENDMENT TO REPEAL BYLAW AMENDMENTSTHE 2010 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

  2115 

ProposalSummary of the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan

  2116

Summary of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

23

Number of Awards Granted to Employees and Directors

25 

Required Vote

  2227

Board Recommendation

27 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES

  2227 

Board Meetings

  2227 

Board Independence

  2228 

Board Leadership Structure

  2328 

Risk Oversight

  2328 

Board Committees

  2329 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

  2632 

Stockholder Communications to Directors

  2733 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

  2733 

Corporate Governance Guidelines

  2733 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

  2834 

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

  2935 

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

  3136 

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

  3136 

Compensation Committee Report

  4249 

20122013 Summary Compensation Table

  4350 

20122013 Grants of Plan Based Awards

  4554 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

  4756 

20122013 Stock Option Exercises

  4858 

i


Table of Contents


Page

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control for each Named Executive Officer

  4958 

Director Compensation

  5265 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

  5570 

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

  5773 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

  5873 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

  5874 

Change of Control and Severance Agreements with Executive Officers

  5874 

Indemnification Agreements

  5974 

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Parties

  5974 

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR 20142015 ANNUAL MEETING

  5975 

HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

  6076 

OTHER MATTERS

  6077

i


Table of Contents

Annexes:

 

Annex A

VIVUS's Board of Directors and Certain Executive OfficersAPPENDIX A: VIVUS, INC. 2010 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

  
A-1

Annex B

Information Concerning Persons who are Participants in VIVUS's Solicitation of Proxies


B-1
 

ii


Table of Contents

VIVUS, INC.

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE 20132014
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS



INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING

General

        The enclosedGOLD proxy card Proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors, or the Board, of VIVUS, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or the Company, for use at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, or the Annual Meeting, to be held on Monday, July 15, 2013,September 12, 2014, at (Pacific8:00 a.m. (local time), or at any adjournment or postponement thereof, for the purposes set forth herein and in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Annual Meeting will be held at .the New York Marriott East Side, 525 Lexington Avenue at 49th Street, New York, New York 10017.

        We are sending the Notice theof Annual Meeting of Stockholders, this Proxy Statement, our 2013 Annual Report and other related materials ona form of Proxy Card or about                        , 2013Voting Instruction Card, as applicable, to all stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Our principal executive office is located at 1172 Castro Street,351 East Evelyn Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94040.94041. Our telephone number is (650) 934-5200. Our website is www.vivus.com. We make our current and periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, available, free of charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

        On May 1, 2013, in connection with its previously announced intention to present proposals at the Annual Meeting, First Manhattan filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement. On May 24, 2013, First Manhattan filed with the SEC an amended preliminary proxy statement presenting proposals to (i) nominate nine nominees for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting, (ii) vote against the Company's proposal to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's named executive officers, (iii) ratify the appointment of OUM & Co., LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2013 and (iv) repeal any bylaw amendment in effect at the time of the Annual Meeting that was not included in our bylaws in effect as of April 18, 2012, as amended on February 20, 2013, and that is inconsistent with the election of the First Manhattan Nominees at the Annual Meeting.

        The First Manhattan Nominees are NOT endorsed by our Board of Directors. We urge stockholders NOT to vote or execute any white proxy card that you may receive from First Manhattan. Instead, our Board of Directors urges you to use theGOLD proxy card to vote "FOR ALL" of our nominees for director: Leland F. Wilson, Peter Y. Tam, Mark B. Logan, J. Martin Carroll, Charles J. Casamento, Ernest Mario, Ph.D., Jorge Plutzky, M.D., Linda M. Dairiki Shortliffe, M.D. and Robert N. Wilson.

        We are not responsible for the accuracy of any information provided by or relating to First Manhattan and their nominees contained in any proxy solicitation materials filed or disseminated by, or on behalf of, First Manhattan or any other statements that First Manhattan may otherwise make. First Manhattan chooses which stockholders receive its proxy solicitation materials.


Table of Contents


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND
OUR 20132014 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Q:
Why am I receiving these materials?

A:
The Board of Directors is providing these proxy materialsProxy Materials to you in connection with our Annual Meeting, which will take place on July 15, 2013.September 12, 2014. As a stockholder of record or beneficial holder as of the close of business on MayJuly 31, 20132014, you are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and are entitled to, and requested to, vote your shares on the proposals described in this Proxy Statement.

Q:
What information is contained in these materials?

A:
The information included in this Proxy Statement relates to the proposals to be voted on at the Annual Meeting, the voting process, the compensation of directors and our most highly paid executive officers, and certain other required information. Our 20122013 Annual Report, which includes our audited consolidated financial statements, has also been filed with the SEC and is included herewith.SEC.

Q:
What proposals will be voted on at the Annual Meeting?

A:
Stockholders will vote on four proposals at the Annual Meeting:

the election to the Board of nineseven director nominees (Proposal No. 1);

advisory approval of the Company's executive compensation (Proposal No. 2);

the ratification of the appointment of OUM & Co. LLP, or OUM, as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 20132014 (Proposal No. 3); and

if presentedthe approval of an amendment to our 2010 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance thereunder by First Manhattan, a proposal to repeal any bylaw amendment in effect at the time of the Annual Meeting that is not included in our bylaws in effect as of April 18, 2012, as amended on February 20, 2013, and that is inconsistent with the election of the First Manhattan Nominees at the Annual Meeting, or the Bylaw Repeal Proposal5,950,000 shares (Proposal No. 4).


Q:

Have other candidates been nominated for election as directors at the Annual Meeting in opposition to the Board's nominees?

A:
Yes. First Manhattan has notified the CompanyTable of its intent to nominate a slate of nine nominees for election as directors at the Annual Meeting in opposition to the nominees recommended by our Board. Our Board does not endorse any First Manhattan Nominee. As described above, the Board has selected the nine persons named in Proposal No. 1 as its nominees for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting and unanimously recommends that you voteContentsFOR the election of each of the nominees proposed by our Board by using theGOLD proxy card accompanying this Proxy Statement. Our Board strongly urges you not to sign or return any white proxy card sent to you by First Manhattan.

Q:
How does the Board recommend I vote on these proposals?

A:
Our Board recommends that you vote your shares:

"FOR ALL"FOR" all of the Board's nineseven director nominees named in this Proxy Statement (Proposal No. 1);

"FOR" the proposal regarding advisory approval of the Company's executive compensation (Proposal No. 2);


Table of Contents

Q:
Who is entitled to vote?

A:
Stockholders of record at the close of business on MayJuly 31, 2013,2014, or the Record Date, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Q:
How many shares can vote?

A:
At the Record Date, approximately 103,460,015 shares of our Common Stock, par value $0.001, were issued and outstanding and held of record by approximately 3,158 stockholders. At the Record Date, we did not have any shares of Preferred Stock outstanding.

Q:
What shares can I vote?

A:
You may vote all of the VIVUS shares owned by you as of the close of business on the record date of MayJuly 31, 2013.2014. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share held as of the Record Date on all matters presented at the Annual Meeting. Stockholders will not be entitled to cumulate their votes in the election of directors.
Q:
How many directors can I vote for?

A:
Stockholders can vote for up to nine nominees for director. We recommend that you vote "FOR ALL" of our nominees for director.

Q:
What is the difference between a "beneficial holder" and a "stockholder of record"?

A:
Whether you are a "beneficial holder" or a "stockholder of record" with respect to your shares depends on how you hold your shares:

Beneficial Holders:  Most stockholders hold their shares through a broker, bank or other nominee (that is, in "street name") rather than directly in their own names. If you hold shares in street name, you are a "beneficial holder" of those shares, and the proxy materials, together with aGOLD voting instruction form,Proxy Materials will be forwarded to you by your broker, bank or other nominee.

Stockholders of Record:  If you hold shares directly in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., you are considered the "stockholder of record" with respect to those shares, and the proxy materials, together with aGOLD proxy card,Proxy Materials have been sent directly to you by us.

Q:
Can I attend the Annual Meeting? What do I need for admission?

A:
You are entitled to attend the Annual Meeting if you were a stockholder of record or a beneficial holder as of the close of business on MayJuly 31, 2013,2014, or you hold a valid legal proxy for the Annual Meeting.If you are a stockholder of record, your name will be verified against the list of

Table of Contents