CERC Cerecor Inc

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)

Registration No. 333-204905

Prospectus Supplement No. 17

(To Prospectus dated October 14, 2015)

4,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the

exercise of the 4,000,000 outstanding Class A warrants

and

2,000,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the

exercise of the 4,000,000 outstanding Class B warrants

This prospectus supplement No. 17 supplements the prospectus dated October 14, 2015 filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) by Cerecor Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), as supplemented by the prospectus supplement No. 1 dated October 20, 2015, the prospectus supplement No. 2 dated November 13, 2015, the prospectus supplement No. 3 dated November 23, 2015, the prospectus supplement No. 4 dated December 17, 2015, the prospectus supplement No. 5 dated December 21, 2015, the prospectus supplement No. 6 dated December 29, 2015, the prospectus supplement No. 7 dated January 5, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 8 dated January 12, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 9 dated January 19, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 10 dated February 2, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 11 dated April 11, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 12 dated May 25, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 13 dated May 26, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 14 dated May 26, 2016, the prospectus supplement No. 15 dated July 20, 2016 and the prospectus supplement No. 16 dated August 15, 2016, each filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) by the Company (collectively, the “Prospectus”).  Pursuant to the Prospectus, this prospectus supplement relates to the continuous offering of 4,000,000 shares of common stock underlying our Class A warrants and 2,000,000 shares of our common stock underlying Class B warrants.  Each warrant was a component of a unit that we issued in our initial public offering, which closed on October 20, 2015.  The components of the units began to trade separately on November 13, 2015.  Each Class A warrant became exercisable on the date when the units detached and the components began to trade separately and will expire on October 20, 2018, or earlier upon redemption.  Each Class B warrant became exercisable on the date the units detached and the components began to trade separately and will expire on April 20, 2017.

This prospectus supplement incorporates into our Prospectus the information contained in Item 8.01 of our attached Current Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 29, 2016.

You should read this prospectus supplement in conjunction with the Prospectus, including any supplements and amendments thereto. This prospectus supplement is qualified by reference to the Prospectus except to the extent that the information in this prospectus supplement supersedes the information contained in the Prospectus.

This prospectus supplement is not complete without, and may not be delivered or utilized except in connection with, the Prospectus, including any supplements and amendments thereto.

Our common stock, the Class A warrants and the Class B warrants are traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbols “CERC,” “CERCW,” and “CERCZ,” respectively.

AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. SEE THE

SECTION ENTITLED “RISK FACTORS” BEGINNING ON PAGE 16 OF THE PROSPECTUS

FOR A DISCUSSION OF INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED IN CONNECTION WITH AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has

approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful

or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus supplement is August 29, 2016

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 29, 2016

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (410) 522-8707

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instructions A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On August 29, 2016, Cerecor Inc. (the “ Company ”) issued a press release, further described in Item 8.01 below, in connection with the initiation of a second Phase 2 clinical trial for CERC-501. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

The information in this Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1) is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. The information in this Current Report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

Initiation of Second CERC-501 Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Smokers

On August 29, 2016, the Company announced that the first subject had been enrolled in a new Phase 2 clinical trial for CERC-501, “Does CERC-501 Attenuate Stress-Related Smoking Lapse?” The study is a collaborative effort between the Company and Dr. Sherry McKee from Yale University and is supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health. The primary objective of the double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study is to evaluate whether CERC-501, compared to placebo, will increase the ability to resist smoking, and reduce subsequent smoking following overnight nicotine deprivation and personalized stress imagery in subjects who are heavy smokers.