Company: TVRD
Filing Date: 2025-02-14
Form Type: S-4/A
Source: 0001104659-25-013053
Chunk: 962

Company: Tvardi Therapeutics, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-14
Form: S-4/A
Chunk 962
---
 5.12(b) | ​ | ​ | Specified Parent Contracts                    | ​ |

A-iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

### AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER AND REORGANIZATION

### THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER AND REORGANIZATION
(this “

#### Agreement
”) is made and entered into as of December 17, 2024, by and among

#### CARA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
, a Delaware corporation (“

#### Parent
”),

#### CT CONVERGENCE MERGER SUB, INC.
, a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“

#### Merger Sub
”), and

#### TVARDI THERAPEUTICS, INC.
, a Delaware corporation (the “

#### Company
”). Certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in

#### Exhibit A
.

### RECITALS
A. Parent and the Company intend to effect a merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company (the “

#### Merger
”) in accordance with this Agreement and the DGCL. Upon consummation of the Merger, Merger Sub will cease to exist and the Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent.

B. The Parties intend that the Merger qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, and by executing this Agreement, the Parties hereby adopt a “plan of reorganization” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Sections 1.368-2(g) and 1.368-3(a).

C. The Parent Board has unanimously (i) determined that the Contemplated Transactions are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Parent and its stockholders, (ii) authorized, approved and declared advisable this Agreement and the Contemplated Transactions, including the issuance of shares of Parent Common Stock to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the change of control of Parent and other actions contemplated by this Agreement, and (iii) determined to recommend, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, that the stockholders of Parent vote to approve the Parent Stockholder Matters.

D. The Merger Sub Board has unanimously (i) determined that the Contemplated Transactions are fair to, advisable, and in the best interests of Merger Sub and its sole stockholder, (ii) authorized, approved and declared advisable this Agreement and the Contemplated Transactions, and (iii) determined to recommend,