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

August 21, 2017

Date of Report

(Date of earliest event reported)

Novus Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

19900 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 550

Irvine, California 92612

(Address of principal executive offices, including Zip Code)

(949) 238-8090

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☒

On August 21, 2017, Novus Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an equity distribution agreement (the “Equity Distribution Agreement”) with Piper Jaffray & Co. (the “Agent”), pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell from time to time shares of Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”), through the Agent. The offering and sale of $8,500,000 of the Shares has been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-207359) (the “Registration Statement”), which was originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on October 9, 2015 and declared effective by the SEC on October 23, 2015, the base prospectus contained within the Registration Statement, and a prospectus supplement that was filed with the SEC on August 21, 2017.

Sales of the Shares, if any, pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement, may be made in sales deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act, including sales made directly on or through the NASDAQ Capital Market or on any other existing trading market for our common stock. The Agent will act as sales agent and will use commercially reasonable efforts to sell on the Company’s behalf all of the Shares requested to be sold by the Company, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between the Agent and the Company. The Company has no obligation to sell any of the Shares under the Equity Distribution Agreement, and may at any time suspend offers under the Equity Distribution Agreement or terminate the Equity Distribution Agreement. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The Equity Distribution Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and agreements by the Company, as well as indemnification obligations of the Company for certain liabilities under the Securities Act. Under the terms of the Equity Distribution Agreement, the Company will pay the Agent a commission equal to 3.0% of the gross sales price of the Shares sold through it under the Equity Distribution Agreement. In addition, the Company has agreed to reimburse certain expenses incurred by the Agent in connection with the offering.

This Current Report on Form 8-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any 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 other jurisdiction.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, counsel to the Company, has issued an opinion to the Company, dated August 21, 2017, regarding the validity of the Shares. A copy of the opinion is filed herewith as Exhibit 5.1.

The description of the material terms of the Equity Distribution Agreement is not intended to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Equity Distribution Agreement, which is filed herewith as Exhibit 1.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

(d) Exhibits:

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX