CARA Cara Therapeutics Inc

On March 30, 2017, Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Registrant”) entered into an underwriting agreement with Piper Jaffray & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein, relating to the issuance and sale of 4,450,000 shares of the Registrant’s common stock (the “Offering”) at a price to the public of $18.00 per share. The Registrant also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 667,500 additional shares of its common stock. The gross proceeds to the Registrant from the Offering, excluding any exercise by the underwriters of their 30-day option to purchase additional shares, are expected to be $80.1 million before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by the Registrant. The offering is scheduled to close on or about April 5, 2017, subject to customary closing conditions.

The underwriting agreement contains customary representations, warranties, covenants and agreements by the Registrant, indemnification obligations of the Registrant and the underwriters, including for liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other obligations of the parties and termination provisions. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the underwriting agreement were made only for purposes of such agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the underwriting agreement, and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties.

The Offering is being made by means of a written prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus forming part of a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-216657), previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and declared effective by the SEC on March 24, 2017.

The underwriting agreement is attached as Exhibit 1.1 hereto, and the description of the terms of the underwriting agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit. A copy of the opinion of Cooley LLP relating to the legality of the issuance and sale of the shares in the Offering is attached as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.

On March 29, 2017, the Registrant issued a press release announcing that it had commenced the Offering, and on March 30, 2017, the Registrant issued a press release announcing the pricing of the Offering. Copies of these press releases are attached as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 hereto, respectively.

Neither the disclosures on this Current Report on Form 8-K nor the attached press releases shall constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.