Document

    Exhibit 4.3
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO 
SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED
The common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“common stock”), of Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. (“Praxis,” “we,” or “our”) is registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The following description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of our common stock. These descriptions are in all respects subject to and qualified in their entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the applicable provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “certificate of incorporation”) and our amended and restated bylaws (our “bylaws”), each of which is incorporated herein by reference and copies of which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the applicable provisions of General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).
Authorized Capital Stock
We are authorized to issue 150,000,000 shares of common stock and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“preferred stock”).
Common Stock
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions.
In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share pro rata in the distribution of our assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors or any authorized committee thereof is authorized, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting, or the designation of, such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of our preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our Company or other corporate action. 
Registration Rights
Pursuant to the terms of our Fourth Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, dated as of July 24, 2020, as amended, or the Investors’ Rights Agreement, certain of our stockholders are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of their shares (which we refer to herein as “registrable securities”) under the Securities Act, including demand registration rights and piggyback registration rights. 
Form S-1 Registration Rights
Under the terms of the Investors’ Rights Agreement, we are required, upon the request of holders holding at least a majority of the registrable securities then outstanding, to file a registration statement on Form S-1 registering the resale of such holders’ registrable securities and the registrable securities of such other holders who elect to have their shares registered; provided that the anticipated aggregate offering price, net of related fees and expenses, of the registrable securities registered on such registration statement would equal at least $10 million. We are required to effect only two registrations pursuant to this provision of the Investors’ Rights Agreement. If the holders requesting registration intend to distribute their shares by means of an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering 








will have the right to limit the numbers of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.
Form S-3 Registration Rights
Pursuant to the Investors’ Rights Agreement, if we are eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3, we are required, upon the request of holders holding at least a majority of the registrable securities then outstanding, to file a registration restatement on Form S-3 registering the resale of such holders’ registrable securities and the registrable securities of such other holders who elect to have their shares registered; provided that the anticipated aggregate offering price, net of related fees and expenses, of the registrable securities registered on such registration statement would equal at least $3 million. We are required to effect only two registrations in any twelve-month period pursuant to this provision of the Investors’ Rights Agreement. If the holders requesting registration intend to distribute their shares by means of an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering will have the right to limit the numbers of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.
Piggyback Registration Rights
Subject to certain exceptions, if we register any of our securities either for our own account or for the account of security holders other than the holders party to the Investors’ Rights Agreements, the holders of shares of registrable securities are entitled to include their shares in the registration. If our proposed registration involves an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering will have the right to limit the number of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.
Indemnification
The Investors’ Rights Agreement contains customary cross-indemnification provisions, under which we are obligated to indemnify holders of registrable securities in the event of material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to us, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions attributable to them.
Expiration of Registration Rights
The demand registration rights and short-form registration rights granted under the Investors’ Rights Agreement will terminate on the earliest to occur of: (i) the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering and (ii) as to each holder of registrable securities, such time as either Rule 144 as promulgated under the Securities Act or another similar exemption under the Securities Act is available for the sale of all of such holder’s shares without limitation during a three-month period without registration or such holder no longer holds any registrable securities.
Anti-Takeover Effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Law
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our board of directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below.
Undesignated Preferred Stock
Our certificate of incorporation provides for 10,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock may enable our board of directors to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our board of directors were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our board of directors could cause shares of preferred stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our certificate of incorporation grants our board of directors broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of common stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control.








Exclusive Jurisdiction for Certain Actions
Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of or based on a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to said Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein; provided that, the provisions of this sentence do not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction; and provided further that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these exclusive jurisdiction provisions.
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
We are subject to Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which prohibits persons deemed to be “interested stockholders” from engaging in a “business combination” with a publicly held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. The existence of this provision may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the board of directors.
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in our control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Among other things, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws:
•permit our board of directors or any authorized committee thereof to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with any rights, preferences and privileges as they may designate;
•provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution adopted by the board of directors;
•provide that the board of directors or any individual director may only be removed with cause and the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two thirds of the outstanding shares of capital stock then entitled vote at an election of directors;
•provide that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, subject to the rights of holders of preferred stock as designated from time to time, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum;
•divide our board of directors into three classes;
•require that any action to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and not be taken by written consent;








•provide that stockholders seeking to present proposals before a meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at a meeting of stockholders must provide notice in writing in a timely manner and also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice;
•do not provide for cumulative voting rights (therefore allowing the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors to elect all of the directors standing for election, if they should so choose);
•provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by our board of directors acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office; and
•provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims, as described above.
The amendment of any of these provisions included in our certificate of incorporation, with the exception of the ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock and designate any rights, preferences and privileges thereto, the removal of directors by our stockholders, the filling of vacancies by our board of directors, and cumulative voting rights, would require the affirmative vote of two thirds of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote on such amendment and the affirmative vote of two thirds of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote on such amendment as a class.
The amendment of any of these provisions included in our bylaws, with the exception of the exclusive forum provision, would require the affirmative vote of two thirds of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote on such amendment, and the affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote on such amendment as a class; provided, however, that if our Board of Directors recommends that stockholders approve such amendment, such amendment shall only require the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on such amendment, voting together as a single class.