Document

        
Exhibit 4.8        

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK
Authorized Common Stock    
We are authorized to issue up to 225 million shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share.
The following summary description of our common stock is based on the provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, second amended and restated bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This information may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, second amended and restated bylaws and the Delaware General Corporation Law. For more detailed information about the rights of our common stock, you should refer to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, second amended and restated bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law.


Voting Rights


The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors may elect all of the directors standing for election. 


Dividend Rights


Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends as may be declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.


Liquidation Rights


Upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Lexicon, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preferences of any outstanding shares of preferred stock. Holders of common stock have no preemptive rights and no right to convert their common stock into any other securities. 


Preemptive and Consent Rights


Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation grants holders of 20% or more of our issued and outstanding common stock (a) customary preemptive rights related to the issuance of certain of our securities and (b) consent rights prior us taking any of the following actions: (i) creating or issuing any new class or series of shares of capital stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of capital stock) having rights, preferences or privileges senior to or on parity with the common stock, (ii) subject to certain exceptions, repurchasing, retiring, redeeming or otherwise acquiring any of our equity securities (or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities) or any subsidiary and (iii) adopting, or proposing to adopt, or maintaining any shareholders’ rights plan, “poison pill” or other similar plan or agreement, unless such stockholder is exempt from such plan or agreement.


Fully Paid and Non-assessable


All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.


Arrangements with Invus


In June 2007, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Invus, L.P., under which Invus, L.P. made an initial investment in our common stock in August 2007.










Board of Directors. Concurrently with the execution of the securities purchase agreement, we entered into a stockholders’ agreement with Invus, L.P. under which Invus, L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, "Invus") have the right to designate a number of directors equal to the percentage of all the outstanding shares of our common stock owned by Invus, rounded up to the nearest whole number of directors. Invus has designated three of the nine current members of our board of directors. While Invus has not presently exercised its director designation rights in full, it may exercise them at any time in the future in its sole discretion. To facilitate the exercise of such rights, we have agreed, upon written request from Invus, to take all necessary actions in accordance with our obligations under the stockholders’ agreement to (a) increase the number of directors to the number specified by Invus (which number shall be no greater than reasonably necessary for the exercise of Invus’ director designation rights under the stockholders’ agreement) and (b) cause the appointment to the newly created directorships of directors so designated by Invus pursuant to its rights under the stockholders’ agreement.


Invus also has the right to require proportionate representation of Invus-appointed directors on the audit, compensation and corporate governance committees of our board of directors, subject to certain restrictions. Invus-designated directors currently serve as one of the three members of each of the compensation committee and the corporate governance committee of our board of directors. No Invus-designated directors currently serve on the audit committee of our board of directors.


The provisions of the stockholders’ agreement relating to Invus’ rights to designate members of our board of directors and its audit, compensation and corporate governance committees will terminate if the percentage of all the outstanding shares of our common stock owned by Invus and its affiliates falls below 10%. Invus also has the right to terminate these provisions at any time in its discretion.


Registration Rights. Concurrently with the execution of the securities purchase agreement, we also entered into a registration rights agreement with Invus, L.P., pursuant to which Invus has certain demand and piggyback registration rights with respect to shares of our common stock held by them. 


Preemptive and Consent Rights.  Invus holds preemptive and consent rights under the provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation based on their current ownership interest in our common stock.


Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Charter Documents


Delaware Takeover Statute. We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, the statute prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation such as Lexicon from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a business combination includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns (or within three years prior, did own) 15% or more of our voting stock.


Charter Documents. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by a consent in writing. Additionally, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation:










						
	•	does not provide for the use of cumulative voting in the election of directors;
	•	provides for a board of directors, classified into three classes of directors;
	•	provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of our board of directors; and
	•	provides for the authority of our board of directors to issue up to five million shares of “blank check” preferred stock and to determine the price, powers, preferences and rights of these shares, without stockholder approval.


Our second amended and restated bylaws provide that candidates for director may be nominated only by our board of directors or by a stockholder who gives written notice to us not less than 120 days nor more than 150 days in advance of the first anniversary of the date of our proxy statement relating to the previous year’s annual meeting of stockholders. The authorized number of directors is fixed in accordance with our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our board of directors currently consists of nine members, divided into three classes. As a result, a portion of the board of directors will be elected each year. The board of directors may appoint new directors to fill vacancies or newly created directorships. Our second amended and restated bylaws also limit who may call a special meeting of stockholders.


Delaware law and these charter provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control of our management, which could depress the market price of our common stock.


Transfer Agent and Registrar


The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Inc.