Allergan, whose director Patrick O'Sullivan will retire from the board in July, said its board will continue to have 12 members of which 10 are independent, following the changes.

Freyman, who retired from Abbott in 2017, most recently served as executive vice president, finance and administration for the company since June 2015.

Last week, two of Allergan's shareholders, hedge funds Appaloosa Management and Senator Investment Group, asked the drugmaker's board to split the role of chief executive officer and chairman as well as reconsider its acquisition strategy.

(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru)