Exhibit 4.1
DESCRIPTION OF ALKERMES PLC ORDINARY SHARES
The following is a summary description of the ordinary shares of Alkermes plc. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Irish Companies Act 2014 (the “Companies Act”) and the complete text of our memorandum and articles of association, as they may be amended from time to time (together, our “Constitution”). A copy of our Constitution is incorporated by reference as Exhibit 3.1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.1 is a part. You should read the Companies Act and our Constitution carefully. Use of terms such as “us,” “we,” “our,” “Alkermes” or the “Company” in this Exhibit 4.1 is meant to refer to Alkermes plc.
Capital Structure
Authorized Share Capital
Our authorized share capital is €40,000 and $5,000,000, which is divided into 40,000 ordinary shares of €1.00 each, 450,000,000 ordinary shares of $0.01 each and 50,000,000 undesignated preferred shares of $0.01 each. Our ordinary shares are registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
We may issue shares subject to the maximum authorized share capital contained in our Constitution, and subject to the issuance and allotment authorities approved by our shareholders. Our authorized share capital may be increased or reduced by a resolution approved by a simple majority of the votes of our shareholders cast in person or by proxy at a general meeting (referred to under Irish law as an “ordinary resolution”). As a matter of Irish law, the board of directors of a public limited company (“plc”) like Alkermes may issue new ordinary or preferred shares without shareholder approval once authorized to do so by the company’s constitution or by an ordinary resolution adopted by the company’s shareholders at a general meeting. The authorization may be granted for a maximum period of five years, after which it must be renewed by the shareholders by an ordinary resolution. In May 2025, our shareholders authorized our board of directors (the “Board”) to allot and issue shares in an amount equal to approximately 20% of our issued share capital as of April 1, 2025. This current authorization extends until November 21, 2026, at which point it will lapse unless renewed by our shareholders.
The rights and restrictions applicable to our ordinary shares are prescribed in our Constitution. Our Constitution permits the Board, without shareholder approval, to determine the terms of any preferred shares issued by us. Our Board is authorized, without obtaining any vote or consent of the holders of any class or series of shares, unless expressly provided by the terms of that class or series of shares, to provide from time to time for the issuance of other classes or series of preferred shares and to establish the characteristics of each class or series, including the number of shares, designations, relative voting rights, dividend rights, liquidation and other rights, redemption, repurchase or exchange rights and any other preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights and limitations not inconsistent with applicable law.
Irish law does not recognize fractional shares held of record. Accordingly, our Constitution does not provide for the issuance of fractional shares, and our official Irish register of members (shareholders) will not reflect any fractional shares.