Document

S-3 1 s-3shelfmarch2021.htm S-3 Document

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 8, 2021

Registration Statement No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CERECOR INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)			45-0705648 (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

540 Gaither Road, Suite 400

Rockville, Maryland 20850

Telephone: (410) 522-8707

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Schond L. Greenway

Chief Financial Officer

Cerecor Inc.

540 Gaither Road, Suite 400

Rockville, Maryland 20850

Telephone: (410) 522-8707

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Brian M. Katz, Esq.

Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

3000 Two Logan Square

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Telephone: (215) 981-4000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. þ

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.


Large accelerated filer ¨						Accelerated filer ¨
Non-accelerated filer þ						Smaller reporting company þ
						Emerging growth company ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ¨

____________________________

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Each Class of Securities
to be Registered

Amount to be
Registered (1)

Proposed Maximum
Offering Price Per
Share (2)

Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price (3)

Amount of
Registration Fee (4)

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share

Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share

Debt Securities

Warrants

Total

$150,000,000

$16,365

(5)


(1)						There are being registered hereunder such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock, such indeterminate principal amount of debt securities and such indeterminate number of warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities as shall have an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $150,000,000. If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the principal amount of such debt securities shall be in such greater amount as shall result in an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $150,000,000, less the aggregate dollar amount of all securities previously issued hereunder. Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or as units with other securities registered hereunder. The securities registered also include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock and amount of debt securities as may be issued upon conversion of or exchange for preferred stock or debt securities that provide for conversion or exchange, upon exercise of warrants or pursuant to the antidilution provisions of any such securities. In addition, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock as may be issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

(2)						Pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, information as to each class of securities to be registered is not specified

(3)						Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act based on the proposed maximum aggregate offering price of all securities registered hereunder.

(4)						In accordance with Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, the securities registered pursuant to this Registration Statement include $16,165,763 of unsold securities (the “Unsold Securities”) that were previously registered for offer and sale but not sold under the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 No. 333-233978 filed by the registrant on September 27, 2019, as amended on October 18, 2019 (the “Prior Registration Statement”). To the extent that, after the filing date hereof and prior to the effectiveness of this Registration Statement, the registrant sells any Unsold Securities pursuant to the Prior Registration Statement, the registrant will identify in a pre-effective amendment to this Registration Statement the updated amount of Unsold Securities from the Prior Registration Statement to be included in this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6). Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, the offering of the Unsold Securities under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this Registration Statement.

(5)						Pursuant to Rule 457(p) under the Securities Act, the registrant is offsetting the $16,365 due under this registration statement against the registration fee in the amount of $1,959.29 previously paid with respect to unsold securities registered pursuant to the Prior Registration Statement. As a result, the filing fee due in connection with this filing is $14,405.71.

___________________________

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until the registration

statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities or accept an offer to buy these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective.

Subject to completion, dated March 8, 2021

PROSPECTUS

$150,000,000 of

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities and/or

Warrants

From time to time, we may offer up to $150,000,000 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. We may also offer securities as may be issuable upon conversion, redemption, repurchase, exchange or exercise of any securities registered hereunder, including any applicable anti-dilution provisions.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement containing specific information about the terms of the securities being offered and the offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with any offering. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If information in any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is inconsistent with the information in this prospectus, then the information in that prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus will apply and will supersede the information in this prospectus.

We may offer and sell these securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement with, between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in an accompanying prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. For more detailed information, see “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.

Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CERC.” On March 5, 2021, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $3.10 per share. The applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market or any securities market or other exchange of the securities, if any, covered by the prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus.

This prospectus may not be used by us to consummate a sale of securities unless accompanied by the applicable prospectus supplement. You should carefully read this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with additional information described in “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference”, before you invest in our securities.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of this prospectus, in any accompanying prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, to read about factors you should consider before investing in our securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Prospectus dated , 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS




			Page

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY			2
RISK FACTORS			5
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			6
USE OF PROCEEDS			7
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			8
DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK			10
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			15
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			17
LEGAL MATTERS			19
EXPERTS			19
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION			19
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE			19

Table of Con tents

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, utilizing a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer shares of our common stock, shares of our preferred stock, debt securities, or warrants for such securities, in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of $150,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to any offering.

This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For a more complete understanding of the offering of the securities, you should refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits. Prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. This prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, will include material information relating to the offering. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, the information and documents incorporated herein by reference and the additional information under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information” before making an investment decision.

You should rely only on the information we have provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representation. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information we have incorporated herein by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security.

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

To the extent there are inconsistencies between this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus and any documents incorporated by reference, the document with the most recent date will control.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of our securities, unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Table of Con tents

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this prospectus to “Cerecor,” “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Cerecor Inc.

Company Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on becoming a leader in development and commercialization of treatments for rare and orphan diseases. The Company is advancing its clinical-stage pipeline of innovative therapies that address unmet patient needs within rare and orphan diseases. The Company's rare disease pipeline includes CERC-801, CERC-802 and CERC-803 (“CERC-800 compounds”), which are in development for therapies for congenital disorders of glycosylation and CERC-006, an oral mTORC1/2 inhibitor in development for the treatment of complex lymphatic malformations. The Company is also developing two monoclonal antibodies, CERC-002 and CERC-007. CERC-002 targets the cytokine LIGHT (TNFSF14) and is in clinical development for the treatment of severe pediatric-onset Crohn's disease and COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (“ARDS”). CERC-007 targets the cytokine IL-18 and is in clinical development for the treatment of Still’s disease (adult onset Still’s disease (“AOSD”) and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (“sJIA”)) and multiple myeloma (“MM”). CERC-006, 801, 802 and 803 have all received Orphan Drug Designation (“ODD”) and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (“RPDD”), which makes all four eligible for a priority review voucher (“PRV”) upon approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”).

The Company continues to explore strategic alternatives for its non-core assets, including its commercialized product, Millipred®, an oral prednisolone indicated across a wide variety of inflammatory conditions, and its neurology pipeline assets.

Our Strategy

Our strategy for increasing stockholder value includes:

•Advancing our pipeline of compounds through development and to regulatory approval;

•Acquiring or licensing rights to targeted, complementary differentiated preclinical and clinical stage compounds;

•Developing the go-to-market strategy to quickly and effectively market, launch, and distribute each of our compounds that receive regulatory approval; and

•Opportunistically out-licensing rights to indications or geographies

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 540 Gaither Road, Suite 400, Rockville, Maryland 20850 and our telephone number is (410) 522‑8707. Our website address is www.cerecor.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.

“Cerecor”, the Cerecor logo and other trademarks or service marks of Cerecor Inc. appearing in this prospectus are the property of Cerecor Inc. Our company is a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act, and we have elected to take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosure available to smaller reporting companies under the Exchange Act.

Offerings Under This Prospectus

We may offer shares of our common stock; shares of our preferred stock; debt securities; or warrants for such securities, with a total value of up to $150,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by

Table of Con tents

market conditions at the time of any offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities.

The prospectus supplement also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to any offering. However, no prospectus supplement nor any related free writing prospectus will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of any securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

We may sell the securities directly to investors or to or through agents, underwriters or dealers. We, and our agents or underwriters, reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we offer securities through agents or underwriters, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus:

•the names of those agents or underwriters;

•applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them;

•details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and

•the net proceeds to us.

Common Stock

Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we are authorized to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share. As of March 5, 2021 we had 89,104,816 shares of common stock outstanding. Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors, and does not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then-outstanding preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the board of directors out of legally available funds.

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities, and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any then-outstanding shares of preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate in the future.

Preferred Stock

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders (unless such stockholder action is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing rules), to designate and issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the common stock, and to increase or decrease the number of shares of any such series, but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding. As of March 5, 2021, we had 1,257,143 shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Our board of directors, without stockholder approval, can issue preferred stock with voting, conversion or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common stock. Preferred stock could be issued quickly with terms designed to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of decreasing the market price of the common

Table of Con tents

stock and may adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and reduce the likelihood that common stockholders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation.

Warrants

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities (described below) in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into warrant agreements with a bank or trust company that we select to be our warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus relating to a particular series of warrants.

In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as the warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement and warrant certificate containing the terms of the warrants we are offering before the issuance of the warrants. As of March 5, 2021, excluding 1,676,923 pre-funded warrants exercisable at $0.001 per share (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”), we had outstanding 4,002,380 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $12.50 per share, subject to adjustment upon occurrence of certain conditions, including but not limited to stock dividends and splits, distribution of property, or certain fundamental transactions, and, subject to certain limitations, in some cases for subsequent rights offerings. The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance and do not expire.

Debt Securities

We may offer debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. The senior debt securities will rank equally with any other unsecured and unsubordinated debt. Any subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner described in the instrument governing the debt, to all of our senior indebtedness. Any convertible debt securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or our other securities. Conversion may be mandatory or at your option or both and would be at prescribed conversion rates.

With respect to any debt securities that we issue, we will issue such debt securities under an indenture, which we would enter into with the trustee named in the indenture. The form of indenture is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and is incorporated herein by reference. Any indenture would be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

Listing

If any securities are to be listed or quoted on a securities exchange or quotation system, the applicable prospectus

supplement or any related free writing prospectus will so indicate. Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market and trades under the symbol “CERC.”

Table of Con tents

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before purchasing any securities you should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as filed with SEC on March 8, 2021, which is incorporated in this prospectus by reference in their entirety, as well as in any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus hereto. These risks and uncertainties are not the only risks and uncertainties we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we currently view as immaterial, may also impair our business. If any of the risks or uncertainties described in our SEC filings or any additional risks and uncertainties actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be materially and adversely affected. Please refer to the sections entitled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.” In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.

Table of Con tents

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and Section 27A of the Securities Act. For these purposes, any statements contained or incorporated by reference herein regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words “may,” “might,” “can,” “will,” “to be,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “likely,” “continue” and “ongoing,” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions or expectations expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements we make.

You should refer to the “Business,” “Risk Factors,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and other sections contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Given these risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this prospectus will prove to be accurate, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Although we may elect to update forward-looking statements in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, except as may be required by law, even if our estimates change, and readers should not rely on our forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date the statements were made.

Table of Con tents

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus relating to a specific offering, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for general corporate purposes.

Table of Con tents

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods. We may sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers. We may distribute securities from time to time in one or more transactions:

•at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

•at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

•at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

•at negotiated prices.

We may also sell equity securities covered by this registration statement in an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Such offering may be made into an existing trading market for such securities in transactions at other than a fixed price, either:

•on or through the facilities of The Nasdaq Capital Market or any other security exchange or quotation or trading service on which such securities may be listed, quoted or traded at the time of sale; and/or

•other than on The Nasdaq Capital Market or such other securities exchanges or quotation or trading services.

Such at the market offerings, if any, may be conducted by underwriters acting as principal or agent.

A prospectus supplement or supplements (and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

•the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents, if any;

•the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;

•any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us;

•any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items constituting agents’ or underwriters’ compensation;

•any public offering price;

•any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

•any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed.

Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.

We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities, we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement and we will include the net proceeds payable to us. The prospectus supplement will also include any over-allotment options. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, our agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.

We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against civil liabilities related to this offering, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with

Table of Con tents

respect to these liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.

All securities we offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a stabilizing or covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on any exchange or over-the-counter market or otherwise.

Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on The Nasdaq Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

Table of Con tents

DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock and provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws are summaries. This description also summarizes relevant provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which we refer to as the DGCL. The terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and the terms of the DGCL are more detailed than the general information provided below. Therefore, please carefully consider the actual provisions of these documents, which have been filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and the DGCL.

General

Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we are authorized to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share, of which 2,857,143 shares were designated as our Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (discussed below) and the remainder of which shares of preferred stock are undesignated. Our board of directors may establish the rights and preferences of the preferred stock from time to time. As of March 5, 2021 we had 89,104,816 shares of common stock outstanding and 1,257,143 shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock

Voting

Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors, and does not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election.

Dividends

Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then-outstanding preferred stock, the holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the board of directors out of legally available funds.

Liquidation

Rights and Preferences

Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate in the future.

Fully Paid and Nonassessable

All of our outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

Warrants

As of March 5, 2021, excluding 1,676,923 pre-funded warrants exercisable at $0.001 per share, we had outstanding 4,002,380 warrants to purchase shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $12.50 per share, subject to adjustment upon occurrence of certain conditions, including but not limited to stock dividends and splits, distribution of property, or certain fundamental transactions, and in some cases for subsequent rights offerings. The Pre-Funded Warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance and do not expire. The Pre-Funded Warrants cannot be exercised if

Table of Con tents

such exercise would cause (i) the aggregate number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by the holder (together with its affiliates and certain related persons) to exceed 9.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, or (ii) the combined voting power of our securities beneficially owned by the holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 9.99% of the combined voting power of all of our securities then outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the pre-funded warrants. However, any holder may increase or decrease such percentage, but not in excess of 19.99%, upon at least 61 days’ prior notice from the holder to us. Upon certain fundamental transactions (as defined in the Pre-Funded Warrants), the holders of the Pre-Funded Warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the Pre-Funded Warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction without regard to any limitations on exercise contained in the Pre-Funded Warrants.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors will fix the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of each series, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the preferred stock of each series that we offer under this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplements or any related free writing prospectus in the certificate of designation relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering before the issuance of that series of preferred stock. This description will include:

•the title and stated value;

•the number of shares we are offering;

•the liquidation preference per share;

•the purchase price per share;

•the dividend rate per share, dividend period and payment dates and method of calculation for dividends;

•whether dividends will be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends will accumulate;

•our right, if any, to defer payment of dividends and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

•the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;

•the provisions for a sinking fund, if any;

•the provisions for redemption or repurchase, if applicable, and any restrictions on our ability to exercise those redemption and repurchase rights;

•any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange or market;

•whether the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock or other securities of ours, including depositary shares and warrants, and, if applicable, the conversion period, the conversion price, or how it will be calculated, and under what circumstances it may be adjusted;

•whether the preferred stock will be exchangeable into debt securities, and, if applicable, the exchange period, the exchange price, or how it will be calculated, and under what circumstances it may be adjusted;

•voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock;

•preemption rights, if any;

Table of Con tents

•restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;

•whether interests in the preferred stock will be represented by depositary shares;

•a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred stock;

•the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs;

•any limitations on issuances of any class or series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with the series of preferred stock being issued as to dividend rights and rights if we liquidate, dissolve or wind up our affairs; and

•any other specific terms, rights, preferences, privileges, qualifications or restrictions of the preferred stock.

The DGCL, the corporate law of our state of our incorporation, provides that the holders of preferred stock will have the right to vote separately as a class (or, in some cases, as a series) on an amendment to our certificate of incorporation if the amendment would change the par value or, unless the certificate of incorporation provided otherwise, the number of authorized shares of the class or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the class or series so as to adversely affect the class or series, as the case may be. This right is in addition to any voting rights that may be provided for in the applicable certificate of designation.

Convertible Preferred Stock

On December 26, 2018, we filed a Certificate of Designation of Preferences of Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (the “convertible preferred stock”) (the “Certificate of Designation”) classifying and designating the rights, preferences and privileges of the convertible preferred stock. The Certificate of Designation authorized 2,857,143 shares of convertible preferred stock. The convertible preferred stock converts to shares of common stock on a 1-for-5 ratio and has the same rights, preferences, and privileges as common stock other than it holds no voting rights. As of March 5, 2021, we had 1,257,143 shares of convertible preferred stock outstanding.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Charter and Bylaws

Provisions of Delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult to acquire us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest, open market purchases, removal of incumbent directors and otherwise. These provisions, summarized below, are expected to discourage types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons to acquire control of us to first negotiate with us. We believe that the benefits of increase protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging takeover or acquisition proposals because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Law

We are subject to section 203 of the DGCL, or Section 203. Section 203 generally prohibits a public Delaware corporation 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:

•prior to such time the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

•upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those shares owned (i) by persons who are directors and also officers and (ii) employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

•at or subsequent to such time the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Section 203 defines a business combination to include:

•any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

Table of Con tents

•any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition involving the interested stockholder of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation;

•subject to exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

•subject to exceptions, any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or

•the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

Subject to certain exceptions, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as an entity or person (other than the corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the corporation) who, together with the entity or person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

The existence of this provision generally will have an anti-takeover effect for transactions not approved in advance by the board of directors, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws

Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated 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 amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws:

•permit our board of directors to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with any rights, preferences and privileges as they may designate (including the right to approve an acquisition or other change in our control);

•provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only be resolution of our board of directors;

•provide that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law, be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum;

•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); and

•provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairman of the board, our chief executive officers or by our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors.

The amendment of any of these provisions, 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, would require approval by the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our then outstanding common stock.

Choice of Forum

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for:

•any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf;

•any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty;

Table of Con tents

•any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; or

•any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any action, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. These provisions would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions. Our exclusive forum provision will not relieve us of our duties to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder, and our shareholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with these laws, rules and regulations.

The provisions of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and may also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

Nasdaq Capital Market Listing

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “CERC.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219. The transfer agent and registrar for any series of preferred stock will be set forth in each applicable prospectus supplement.

Table of Con tents

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplement or related free writing prospectus, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which may consist of warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities and may be issued in one or more series. Warrants may be issued independently or together with common stock, preferred stock or debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement, and may be attached to or separate from those securities. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. However, no prospectus supplement or related free writing prospectus will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.

We have filed forms of the warrant agreements as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, if any, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses, and the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

General

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms relating to a series of warrants being offered, including:

•the title of such securities;

•the offering price or prices and aggregate number of warrants offered;

•the currency or currencies for which the warrants may be purchased;

•if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities and the exercise price with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

•if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

•if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants which may be exercised at any one time;

•in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at which, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

•in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which, and the currency in which, these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

•the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreements and the warrants;

•the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

•the terms of any rights to force the exercise of the warrants;

•any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

•the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;

•the manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be modified;

•a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

•the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and

•any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including:

•in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the right to receive payments of principal of, or premium, if any,

Table of Con tents

or interest on, the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture; or

•in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

Exercise of Warrants

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent in connection with the exercise of the warrant.

Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

Each warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

Table of Con tents

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of any debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we offer, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities we may offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. For any debt securities that we offer, an indenture (and any relevant supplemental indenture), if required, will contain additional important terms and provisions, the form of which we filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this prospectus is a part and is incorporated therein by reference. We will file any definitive indenture as an exhibit to reports that we file with the SEC and incorporate by reference in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. Any indenture would be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

With respect to any debt securities that we issue, we will describe in each prospectus supplement the following terms relating to a series of debt securities:

•the title;

•the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;

•any limit on the amount that may be issued;

•whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, and if so, the terms and who the depository will be;

•the maturity date;

•the principal amount due at maturity;

•whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a United States person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;

•the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

•whether or not the debt securities will be convertible into shares of our common stock or our preferred stock and, if so, the terms of such conversion;

•whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured by some or all of our assets, and the terms of any secured debt;

•the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;

•the place where payments will be payable;

•restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;

•our right, if any, to defer payment or interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

•the date, if any, after which and the conditions upon which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;

•the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;

•whether the indenture will restrict our ability to pay dividends, or will require us to maintain any asset ratios or reserves;

•whether we will be restricted from incurring any additional indebtedness, issuing additional securities, or entering into a merger, consolidation or sale of our business;

•a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;

•information describing any book-entry features;

•any provisions for payment of additional amounts for taxes;

•whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

•the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

•events of default;

•whether we and/or the indenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders;

•the form of debt security and how it may be exchanged and transferred;

Table of Con tents

•description of the indenture trustee and paying agent, and the method of payments; and

•any other specified terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations.

We summarize below the material terms of the form of indenture, if required, or indicate which material terms will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The indenture:

•does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue;

•allows us to issue debt securities in one or more series;

•does not require us to issue all of the debt securities of a series at the same time;

•allows us to reopen a series to issue additional debt securities without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series; and

•provides that the debt securities may be secured or unsecured, as may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Table of Con tents

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities being offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP. If legal matters in connection with offerings made pursuant to this prospectus are passed upon by counsel for underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, such counsel will be named in the prospectus supplement relating to such offerings.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as set forth in their report (which contains an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements), which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the securities offered by this prospectus.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants. Our SEC filings, including our registration statement and the exhibits and schedules thereto, are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.

We maintain a website at www.cerecor.com. Information contained in or accessible through our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The SEC file number for the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus is 001-37590. The documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain important information that you should read about us.

The following documents are incorporated by reference into this document:

•our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20 20 , as filed with the SEC on March 8 , 202 1 ;

•our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 5, 2021, January 7, 2021, January 8, 2021 and March 1 , 2021, in each case only to the extent the information in such report is filed and not furnished; and

•the descri ption of our common stock con tained in our Registration Statement on Form 8 -A, filed with the SEC on October 9, 2015, including any amendments or reports filed for the p urposes of updating this description .

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (i) after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement, or (ii) after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements.

Table of Con tents

We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents to Cerecor Inc., 540 Gaither Road, Suite 400 Rockville, Maryland 20850; telephone: (410) 522-8707.

Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this document will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of the document to the extent that a statement contained in this document or any other subsequently filed document that is deemed to be incorporated by reference into this document modifies or supersedes the statement.

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth an estimate of the fees and expenses, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by the Registrant in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered. All the amounts shown are estimates, except for the SEC registration fee.


SEC registration fee	$	16,365
Legal fees and expenses	$	*
Accounting fees and expenses	$	*
Printing expenses	$	*
Miscellaneous	$	*
Total	$	*

_____

* These expenses are not presently known and cannot be estimated. The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the aggregate amount of expenses payable in respect of any offering of securities.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any persons who are, or are threatened to be made, parties to any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of such corporation), by reason of the fact that such person was an officer, director, employee, or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such person as an officer, director, employee, or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit, or proceeding, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was illegal. A Delaware corporation may indemnify any person who is, or is threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending, or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation by reason of the fact that such person was a director, officer, employee, or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee, or agent of another corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the corporation’s best interests, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him or her against the expenses which such officer or director has actually and reasonably incurred. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except for liability for any:

•breach of a director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders;

•act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

•unlawful payment of dividends, stock purchase or redemption of shares; or

•transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes a provision providing for the limitation of liability to the maximum extent permitted under the DGCL. Expenses incurred by any officer or director in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition shall be paid by us upon delivery to us of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or

II-1

officer, to repay all amounts advanced if it should ultimately be determined that such director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified by us.

Section 174 of the DGCL provides, among other things, that a director, who willfully or negligently approves of an unlawful payment of dividends or an unlawful stock purchase or redemption, may be held liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the unlawful actions were approved, or dissented at the time, may avoid liability by causing his or her dissent to such actions to be entered on the books containing minutes of the meetings of the board of directors at the time such action occurred or immediately after such absent director receives notice of the unlawful acts.

We maintain a directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy. The policy insures directors and officers against unindemnified losses arising from certain wrongful acts in their capacities as directors and officers and reimburses us for those losses for which we have lawfully indemnified the directors and officers. The policy contains various exclusions.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors. These agreements, among other things, require us to indemnify each director to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, including indemnification of expenses such as attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by the director in any action or proceeding, including any action or proceeding by or in right of the company, arising out of the person's services as a director.

In any underwriting agreement that we enter into in connection with the sale of common stock being registered hereby, the underwriters will agree to indemnify, under certain conditions, us, our directors, our officers and persons who control us within the meaning of the Securities Act, against certain liabilities.

II-2

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)Exhibits.


Exhibit Number			Description of Document
1.1*			Form of Underwriting Agreement.
3.1			Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Cerecor Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2018).
3.2			Cerecor Inc. Second Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2018).
4.1			Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on May 20, 2016).
4.2			Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock of Cerecor Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 28, 2017).
4.3			Form of Certificate of Designation of Series B Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock of Cerecor Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 27, 2018).
4.4			Exchanged Warrant issued to Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd. on December 27, 2018. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 27, 2018).
4.5			New Warrant issued to Armistice Capital Master Fund Ltd. on December 27, 2018. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 27, 2018).
4.6			Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 8, 2021).
4.7*			Form of Specimen Preferred Stock Certificate and Certificate Designations of Preferred Stock.
4.8			Form of Indenture, between the Registrant and one or more trustees to be named.
4.9*			Form of Note.
4.10*			Form of Common Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
4.11*			Form of Preferred Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
4.12*			Form of Debt Securities Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
5.1			Opinion of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP.
23.1			Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2			Consent of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1			Power of Attorney (included on signature page to this Registration Statement on Form S-3).
25.1**			Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under the Indenture.

*			To be filed by amendment or by a report filed under the Exchange Act and incorporated herein by reference, if applicable.
**			To be filed pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 under the electronic form type “305B2” and in accordance with the equipments of Item 601(b)(25) of Regulation S-K.

II-3

Item 17. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by registrant pursuant to Section 13 and Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned

II-4

registrant pursuant to this Registration Statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the

form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of

prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be

part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment

that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein,

and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(e) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act (“Act”) in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the SEC under section 305(b)(2) of the Act.

II-5

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Rockville, State of Maryland, on the 8th day of March, 2021.



			CERECOR INC.

			By:			/s/ Michael Cola
			Name:			Michael Cola
			Title:			Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Michael Cola and Schond L. Greenway, and each or any one of them, as his or her true and lawful agent, proxy and attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to (i) act on, sign and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement together with all schedules and exhibits thereto and any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, together with all schedules and exhibits thereto, (ii) act on, sign and file such certificates, instruments, agreements and other documents as may be necessary or appropriate in connection therewith, (iii) act on and file any supplement to any prospectus included in this registration statement or any such amendment or any subsequent registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and (iv) take any and all actions, which may be necessary or appropriate to be done, as fully for all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby approving, ratifying and confirming all that such agent, proxy and attorney-in-fact or any of his or her substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

II-6

Signature

Title

Date

/s/ Michael Cola

Chief Executive Officer and Director

March 8, 2021

Michael Cola

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Schond L. Greenway

Chief Financial Officer

March 8, 2021

Schond L. Greenway

(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Chris Sullivan

Chief Accounting Officer

March 8, 2021

Chris Sullivan

(Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Sol J. Barer, Ph.D.

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director

March 8, 2021

Sol J. Barer, Ph.D.

/s/ Steven J. Boyd

Director

March 8, 2021

Steven J. Boyd

/s/ Suzanne Bruhn, Ph.D.

Director

March 8, 2021

Suzanne Bruhn, Ph.D.

/s/ Phil Gutry

Director

March 8, 2021

Phil Gutry

/s/ Gilla Kaplan, Ph.D.

Director

March 8, 2021

Gilla Kaplan, Ph.D.

/s/ Joseph Miller

Director

March 8, 2021

Joseph Miller

/s/ Magnus Persson, M.D., Ph.D.

Director

March 8, 2021

Magnus Persson, M.D., Ph.D.

II-7