Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-210731

Prospectus Supplement (To Prospectus dated April 28, 2016)

$75,000,000

Common stock

We have entered into an equity distribution agreement with Piper Jaffray & Co. relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. In accordance with the terms of the equity distribution agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75.0 million from time to time through Piper Jaffray & Co. acting as our agent.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CCXI.” On November 30, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $10.05 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus will be made in sales deemed to be “at-the-market” equity offerings as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Piper Jaffray & Co. will act as sales agent on a best efforts basis and will use commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the common stock requested to be sold by us, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Piper Jaffray & Co. and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

Piper Jaffray & Co. will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of up to 3.0% of the gross sales price per share sold through it as agent under the equity distribution agreement. See “Plan of Distribution” on page S-14 for a description of compensation payable to Piper Jaffray & Co. In connection with the sale of common stock on our behalf, Piper Jaffray & Co. will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Piper Jaffray & Co. will be deemed to be underwriting commissions. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Piper Jaffray & Co. with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the prospectus to which it relates is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Piper Jaffray

The date of this prospectus supplement is December 4, 2018.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We and Piper Jaffray & Co. have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any relevant free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and Piper Jaffray & Co. take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. It is important for you to read and consider all information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making your investment decision. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information in this document may only be accurate on the date of this document.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus dated April 28, 2016 are part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relate to the offer by us of shares of our common stock to certain investors. We provide information to you about this offering of shares of our common stock in two separate documents that are bound together: (1) this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific details regarding this offering; and (2) the accompanying prospectus, which provides general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer to this “prospectus,” we are referring to both documents combined. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. However, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date-—for example, a document incorporated by reference in the accompanying prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement as our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the earlier dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents and information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering when making your investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents we have referred you to under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

When we refer to “ChemoCentryx,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus supplement, we mean ChemoCentryx, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiary, unless otherwise specified.

ChemoCentryx^®, the ChemoCentryx logo, Traficet™ and Traficet-EN™ are our trademarks in the United States, the European Community, Australia and Japan. EnabaLink^® and RAM^® are our trademarks in the United States.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

Our website address is www.chemocentryx.com. The information on or accessible through our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus modifies or replaces that statement.

We incorporate by reference our documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus supplement, between the date of this prospectus supplement and the termination of this offering. We are not, however, incorporating by reference any documents or portions thereof, whether specifically listed below or filed in the future, that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC or any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

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You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement (other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in the documents) by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

ChemoCentryx, Inc.

850 Maude Avenue

Mountain View, CA 94043

Attn: Corporate Secretary

(650) 210-2900

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

The items in the following summary are described in more detail later in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus. This summary provides an overview of selected information and does not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our common stock. Therefore, you should read the entire prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section and other documents or information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before making any investment decision.

Overview

ChemoCentryx is a biopharmaceutical company developing new medications targeted at inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Each of our drug candidates is designed to selectively block a specific chemoattractant receptor, leaving the rest of the immune system intact. Our drug candidates are small molecules, which are orally administered, and, if approved, could address unmet medical needs, including improved efficacy, and offer significant quality of life benefits, since patients swallow a capsule or pill instead of having to visit a clinic for an infusion or undergo an injection.

In 2016, we executed on our strategy to form an alliance with a partner that could provide upfront fees and milestone payments to support the clinical development of our two leading drug candidates, avacopan and CCX140, to registration and pay us royalties upon sales in international markets, while we develop our own commercial infrastructure to sell directly in the United States.

To help communicate the breadth of our drug discovery platform, we have segmented our pipeline into early stage and late stage drug candidates.

Late Stage Drug Candidates

We have chosen to focus initially on orphan indications, where drug candidates tend to enjoy a faster path to market and better reimbursement. Our leading drug candidates address areas of clear unmet need, where the current standard of care, or SOC, is insufficient to halt progression of the disease and/or where today’s treatment options come with serious side effects, such as those which accompany the prolonged use of steroids:

Avacopan (CCX168) — Complement Inhibition in Orphan Diseases

Avacopan (formerly CCX168) is an orally-administered complement inhibitor targeting the C5a receptor, or C5aR, and is being developed for orphan diseases, including (i) anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic auto-antibody associated vasculitis, or AAV, a devastating autoimmune disease that damages blood vessels and can lead to kidney failure; (ii) complement 3 glomerulopathy, or C3G, a debilitating disease that can lead to kidney failure; and (iii) hidradenitis suppurativa, or HS, a chronic, inflammatory, debilitating skin disease characterized by recurrent, painful, nodules and abscesses, ultimately leading to the formation of draining fistulas (also known as sinus tracts) as well as scarring.

Avacopan has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of AAV and C3G and by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for the treatment of C3G and microscopic polyangiitis and granulomatosis with polyangiitis, both forms of AAV. Additionally, avacopan has been granted PRIority MEdicines, or PRIME, designation from the EMA, to expedite its clinical development, and to potentially accelerate its marketing authorization.

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Following completion of two Phase II clinical trials in patients with AAV, in which avacopan was well-tolerated and provided effective steroid-free control of the disease, we launched the Phase III ADVOCATE trial in December 2016. The FDA and the EMA concurred with the design of the study. ADVOCATE is a randomized, double-blind two-arm study which enrolled 316 patients at approximately 200 sites in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Patient enrollment of the Phase III ADVOCATE trial was completed in July 2018 and we expect to report topline data from this study in the fourth quarter of 2019. Additionally, we launched a registration-supporting clinical trial to study avacopan for the treatment of patients with C3G and plan to initiate a large placebo-controlled Phase II clinical study for the treatment of patients with HS in late 2018.

CCX140 — Chronic and Orphan Kidney Diseases

CCX140, an orally-administered inhibitor of the chemokine receptor known as CCR2, has been in development for diabetic nephropathy, or DN, a form of chronic kidney disease, or CKD, and is now being developed for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, a rare renal disease characterized by progressive proteinuria, excess protein in the urine, and impaired renal function. CCX140 has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of FSGS.

A global Phase II clinical trial of CCX140 in patients with DN met its primary endpoint by demonstrating that CCX140 given orally once daily added to a SOC renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor treatment resulted in a statistically significant reduction in proteinuria, beyond that achieved with SOC alone, with the most pronounced effect shown in the highest proteinuric patients. Based on the safety and efficacy data related to reduction in proteinuria observed in the Phase II trial in DN, we launched our clinical development program of CCX140 for the treatment of patients with primary FSGS, for which there are currently no FDA-approved treatments.

Kidney Health Alliance with Vifor

In May 2016, we announced a partnership, which we refer to as the Avacopan Agreement, with Vifor (International) Ltd., and/or its affiliates, or collectively, Vifor, a European-based world leader specializing in kidney disease. While under this agreement we retained all rights to the United States and China, we granted Vifor exclusive commercialization rights to avacopan in Europe and certain other international markets. In December 2016, we entered into an additional agreement with Vifor, which we refer to as the CCX140 Agreement, relating to CCX140, our other late stage drug candidate. Under this second agreement, we again retained all rights to the United States and China and we granted Vifor exclusive worldwide commercialization rights outside of the United States and China. In February 2017, we announced a further agreement with Vifor that harmonized the geographic commercialization rights underlying the agreements for both drug candidates, which we refer to as the Avacopan Amendment. In June 2018, we entered into additional agreements with Vifor to further expand Vifor’s exclusive commercialization rights to include China under the Avacopan Agreement and the CCX140 Agreement.

We have secured $215 million in upfront cash payments and milestones pursuant to our agreements with Vifor and are eligible for additional substantial milestone payments. Through our alliance, we maintain the commercialization rights to avacopan and CCX140 in the United States, and also retain control of the clinical development programs for orphan renal disease. Vifor gained the exclusive commercialization rights for all other international markets, and is obligated to pay us tiered royalties, with rates ranging from ten to the mid-twenties, on potential net sales.

At a future time defined in the CCX140 Agreement, Vifor has an option to solely develop and commercialize CCX140 in more prevalent forms of CKD. Should Vifor later exercise the CKD option,

we would receive co-promotion rights for CKD in the United States, and we estimate that the clinical

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development and registration process for CKD would end at approximately the same time as Orphan Drug exclusivity.

In September 2018, in connection with its purchase of 7.3 million shares of our common stock from Glaxo Group Limited, we, Vifor and certain entities affiliated with Vifor, entered into a Standstill and Waiver Agreement that, among other things, limits their ability to acquire additional shares of common stock to the extent they would own more than 21.5% of our then issued and outstanding common stock.

Early Stage Drug Candidates

While we have focused initially on kidney disease, our target specific and selective approach designed to stop the spread of inflammatory disease-inducing cells shows promise in other disease areas. Over time we plan to bring forward drug candidates to treat other inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, as well as cancer, where our drug candidate CCX872 has shown promise in a Phase Ib trial for advanced pancreatic cancer. We expect that our ability to do so will grow as we increase our scale and to the extent that we start to earn revenues and royalties from the commercialization of our late stage kidney disease franchise.

Since commencing our operations in 1997, our efforts have focused on research, development and the advancement of our drug candidates into and through clinical trials. As a result, we have incurred significant losses. We have funded our operations primarily through the sale of convertible preferred and common stock, contract revenue under our collaborations, government contracts and grants and borrowings under equipment financing arrangements.

Corporate Information

We commenced operations in 1997. Our principal executive offices are located at 850 Maude Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043, and our telephone number is (650) 210-2900. Our website address is www.chemocentryx.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. We have a wholly owned subsidiary, ChemoCentryx Limited, organized under the laws of the United Kingdom that is currently inactive.

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THE OFFERING

Unless otherwise stated, all information contained in this prospectus supplement reflects an assumed public offering price of $10.05 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on November 30, 2018.

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RISK FACTORS

You should consider carefully the risks described below and discussed under the section captioned “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in their entirety, together with other information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering before you make a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations.

Risks Related to the Discovery and Development of Our Drug Candidates

The development of new drugs is a highly risky undertaking which involves a lengthy process, and our drug discovery and development activities therefore may not result in products that are approved for marketing and sale by the applicable regulatory authorities on the time schedule we have planned, or at all, or result in substantial payments to us.

Our drug candidates are in the early stages of drug discovery or clinical trials and are prone to the risks of failure inherent in drug development. As of September 30, 2018, nine of our drug candidates have been tested in human beings. We will need to conduct significant additional preclinical studies and clinical trials before we can demonstrate that any of our drug candidates is safe and effective to the satisfaction of the FDA, the EMA and other regulatory authorities. Preclinical studies and clinical trials are expensive and uncertain processes that take years to complete. For example, we incurred significant expenses related to the investigational new drug filing and the completed single ascending dose Phase I clinical trial for CCX915, our first generation CCR2 drug candidate, which did not advance into Phase II clinical trials because its pharmacokinetic, or PK, properties in humans did not meet our expectations. Failure can occur at any stage of the process, and we cannot assure you that any of our drug candidates will demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical trials or result in commercially successful products. For instance, we have a Conditional Marketing Authorization, or CMA, application pending for avacopan for the treatment of patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic AAV. This CMA application is under review by the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, or CHMP. As part of the CHMP’s standard review protocol for the CMA, we have received the Rapporteurs Day 150 Response Assessment Report, which identifies items with respect to our CMA application within the categories of quality, clinical and non-clinical that fit within the definitions of the CHMP’s categorization scheme as “major objections” and as such will need to be resolved to the satisfaction of the CHMP before it would be able to make a recommendation for conditional marketing authorization in the European Union. We believe that the items raised in the Rapporteurs Day 150 Response Assessment Report are ultimately addressable by providing data that we expect to obtain through our ongoing manufacturing, nonclinical and clinical trials of avacopan, but can provide no assurance regarding if or when we will be able to address these items to the satisfaction of the CHMP, whether we will ultimately be successful in obtaining a CMA or, if successful, that the indication for which we ultimately receive a CMA will not be narrower than the indication for which we are currently seeking conditional approval.

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We cannot assure you that our ongoing clinical trials or any future clinical trial of any of our other drug candidates will be completed on schedule, or at all, or whether our planned clinical trials will start in a timely manner. The commencement of our planned clinical trials could be substantially delayed or prevented by a number of factors, including:

The completion of our clinical trials could also be substantially delayed or prevented by a number of factors, including:

Any failure or significant delay in completing clinical trials for our drug candidates would harm the commercial prospects for our drug candidates and adversely affect our financial results.

Additionally, changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may occur and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols to reflect these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical trial

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protocols to regulatory agencies and ethics committees for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical trial. If we experience delays in completion of, or if we terminate, any of our clinical trials, the commercial prospects for our drug candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate product revenues will be delayed. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of a drug candidate.

Our clinical trials may be suspended or terminated at any time for a number of safety-related reasons. For example, we may voluntarily suspend or terminate our clinical trials if at any time we believe that our drug candidates present an unacceptable safety risk to the clinical trial patients. In addition, IRBs or regulatory agencies may order the temporary discontinuation or termination of our clinical trials at any time if they believe that the clinical trials are not being conducted in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, including if they present an unacceptable safety risk to patients. Administering any drug candidate to humans may produce undesirable side effects. The existence of undesirable side effects resulting from our drug candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities, such as the FDA, to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials of our drug candidates and could result in the FDA or other regulatory agencies denying further development or approval of our drug candidates for any or all targeted indications.

Further, chemokine receptors and chemoattractant receptors are a novel class of targets. As a result, we may experience unforeseen adverse side effects with our existing and future drug candidates, including CCX140 and avacopan. Although we have not observed significant harmful side effects in prior studies of our drug candidates, later trials could reveal such side effects. The PK profile of preclinical studies may not be indicative of results in any clinical trial. For example, prior to commencing our preclinical studies of our CCX140 drug candidate, we studied another drug candidate that targeted CCR2, which we abandoned after PK results were not as favorable in humans as in earlier preclinical animal studies. We have not completed studies on the long-term effects associated with the use of our drug candidates. Completion of studies of these long-term effects may be required for regulatory approval and would delay our introduction of our drug candidates into the market. These studies could also be required at any time after regulatory approval of any of our drug candidates. Absence of long-term data may also limit the approved uses of our products, if any, to short-term use. Some or all of our drug candidates may prove to be unsafe for human use.

In addition, we are party to collaboration and license agreements with Vifor, the Avacopan Agreement and the CCX140 Agreement, which require Vifor to make substantial payments to us upon achievement of certain regulatory and commercial milestones. However, Vifor has the right to terminate the Avacopan Agreement and the CCX140 Agreement at its convenience, in which case we would not receive such payments.

Risks Related to This Offering

If you purchase shares of our common stock sold in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares. In addition, we may issue additional equity or convertible debt securities in the future, which may result in additional dilution to investors.

The offering price per share of our common stock in this offering may be higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock. Assuming that an aggregate of 7,462,687 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $10.05 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on November 30, 2018, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $75.0 million, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, new investors in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $8.43 per share. See the section entitled “Dilution” below for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase

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shares of our common stock in this offering. To the extent outstanding stock options or warrants are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors.

In addition, to the extent we need to raise additional capital in the future and we issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible or exchangeable for our common stock, our then existing stockholders may experience dilution and the new securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock offered in this offering.

Our management team may invest or spend the proceeds of this offering in ways with which you may not agree or in ways which may not yield a significant return.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund development of our drug candidates, for working capital and other general corporate purposes. However, our management team will have considerable discretion in the application of the net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. The net proceeds may be used for corporate purposes that do not improve our operating results or the market price of our common stock.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of our shares of common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our shares of common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. A substantial number of our outstanding shares of common stock are, and the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus supplement will be, freely tradable, without restriction, in the public market. Any sales of these shares or any perception in the market that such sales may occur could also cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

In addition, shares of common stock that are either subject to outstanding options or warrants or reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will be eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of various vesting schedules, Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, our effective Registration Statements on Form S-8 and any future registration of such shares under the Securities Act. If these additional shares of common stock are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish unfavorable or inaccurate research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

Our stock price and trading volume is heavily influenced by the way analysts and investors interpret our financial information and other disclosures. If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, delay publishing reports about our business or publish negative reports about our business, regardless of accuracy, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock depends, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. A limited number of analysts are currently covering our company. If the number of analysts that cover us declines, demand for our common stock could decrease and our common stock price and trading volume may decline.

Even if our common stock is actively covered by analysts, we do not have any control over the analysts or the measures that analysts or investors may rely upon to forecast our future results. Over-reliance by

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analysts or investors on any particular metric to forecast our future results may result in forecasts that differ significantly from our own.

Regardless of accuracy, unfavorable interpretations of our financial information and other public disclosures could have a negative impact on our stock price. If our financial performance fails to meet analyst estimates, for any of the reasons discussed above or otherwise, or one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or change their opinion of our common stock, our stock price would likely decline.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in such documents are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “predict,” “seek,” “contemplate,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement.

Any forward-looking statement in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, industry and future growth. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. For all forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $75.0 million from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund development of our drug candidates, for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The amounts actually spent for the above purposes may vary significantly and will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of cash used in our operations. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the proceeds from this offering. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of such proceeds.

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DILUTION

Our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2018 was approximately $21.5 million, or $0.43 per share. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our total tangible assets, less total liabilities, by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2018. Dilution in net tangible book value per share represents the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of common stock in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $75.0 million, and after deducting estimated offering commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2018 would have been approximately $93.9 million, or $1.62 per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $1.19 per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $8.43 per share to new investors purchasing our common stock in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

The table above assumes for illustrative purposes that an aggregate of 7,462,687 shares are sold during the term of the equity distribution agreement with Piper Jaffray & Co. at a price of $10.05 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on November 30, 2018, for aggregate gross proceeds of $75.0 million. The shares subject to the equity distribution agreement with Piper Jaffray & Co. are being sold from time to time at various prices. This information is supplied for illustrative purposes only and may differ based on the actual offering price and the actual number of shares offered.

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 50,428,507 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and excludes:

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, to fund the development and expansion of our business and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, our ability to pay dividends is currently restricted by the terms of our credit facility with Hercules Capital, Inc. Any future determination related to dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors.

S-13

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have entered into an equity distribution agreement with Piper Jaffray & Co. as our sales agent, which will be filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K under the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. Piper Jaffray & Co. will use commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of our common stock requested to be sold by us, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the equity distribution agreement. We may instruct Piper Jaffray & Co. not to sell our common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any instruction. We or Piper Jaffray & Co. may suspend the offering of our common stock upon proper notice and subject to other conditions, as further described in the equity distribution agreement.

Piper Jaffray & Co. will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market each day in which our common stock is sold under the equity distribution agreement. Each such confirmation will include the number of shares of our common stock sold on such day, the net proceeds to us and the compensation payable by us to Piper Jaffray & Co. in connection with the sales of our common stock.

We will pay Piper Jaffray & Co. commissions for its services in acting as agent and/or principal in the sale of our common stock. Piper Jaffray & Co. will be entitled to compensation in an amount equal to up to 3.0% of the gross sales price of all common stock sold through it as agent under the equity distribution agreement. However, in the event Piper Jaffray & Co. acts as principal in the sale of common stock under the equity distribution agreement, such rate of compensation will not apply, but in no event will the total compensation of Piper Jaffray & Co., when combined with the reimbursement of Piper Jaffray & Co. for the out-of-pocket fees and disbursements of its legal counsel as described below, exceed 8.0% of the gross proceeds received from the sale of our common stock. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation payable to Piper Jaffray & Co. under the terms of the equity distribution agreement, will be approximately $350,000. We have also agreed to reimburse Piper Jaffrey & Co. for the out-of-pocket reasonable fees and disbursements of its legal counsel, in an amount not to exceed $50,000.

Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the second business day following the date on which any sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and Piper Jaffray & Co. in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of common stock sold through Piper Jaffray & Co., as sales agent, under the equity distribution agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to Piper Jaffray & Co. in connection with the sales of common stock.

Piper Jaffray & Co. and its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking, commercial banking, fiduciary and advisory services for us from time to time for which they have received, and may in the future receive, customary fees and expenses. Piper Jaffray & Co. and its affiliates may, from time to time, engage in other transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary course of their business.

In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Piper Jaffray & Co. may, and will with respect to sales effected in an “at-the-market” equity offering, be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of Piper Jaffray & Co. may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to indemnify Piper Jaffray & Co. against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments that Piper Jaffray & Co. may be required to make because of those liabilities.

S-14

The offering of shares of our common stock pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (1) the sale of all common stock subject to the equity distribution agreement or (2) termination of the equity distribution agreement. The equity distribution agreement may be terminated by Piper Jaffray & Co. or us at any time on the close of business on the date of receipt of written notice, and by Piper Jaffray & Co. at any time in certain circumstances, including any suspension or limitation on the trading of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, as further described in the equity distribution agreement.

S-15

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the issuance of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, California. Piper Jaffray & Co. is being represented in connection with this offering by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Menlo Park, California.

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, 2017, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. 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.

S-16

PROSPECTUS

$150,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

We may offer and sell up to $150,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.

Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. 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 between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 7 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CCXI.” On April 11, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $2.58 per share.

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

The date of this prospectus is April 28, 2016.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $150,000,000 as described in this prospectus. Each time that we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the prospectus supplement. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate as of the date on its respective cover, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

When we refer to “ChemoCentryx,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean ChemoCentryx, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiary, unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the holders of the applicable series of securities.

ChemoCentryx^®, the ChemoCentryx logo, Traficet™ and Traficet-EN™ are our trademarks in the United States, the European Community, Australia and Japan. EnabaLink^® and RAM^® are our trademarks in the United States. Each of the other trademarks, trade names or service marks appearing in this registration statement on Form S-3 belongs to its respective holder.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

Our website address is www.chemocentryx.com. The information on our website, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow 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 information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies or replaces that statement.

We incorporate by reference our documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus, between the date of this prospectus and the termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus. We are not, however, incorporating by reference any documents or portions thereof, whether specifically listed below or filed in the future, that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including our Compensation Committee report and performance graph or any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

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All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus (other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in the documents) by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

ChemoCentryx, Inc.

850 Maude Avenue

Mountain View, CA 94043

Attn: Corporate Secretary

(650) 210-2900

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement.

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THE COMPANY

ChemoCentryx is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing orally-administered therapeutics to treat orphan and rare diseases, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer. Our approach has been to target the chemoattractant system, a network of molecules including chemokine ligands and their associated receptors, as well as related chemoattractant receptors.

Chemokine ligands and their associated receptors, as well as related chemoattractant receptors are known to cause inflammation. Chemokine ligands concentrate at the site of an inflammatory event, serving as signals that attract and guide inflammatory cells to the tissue, where, based on the chemokine ligand and receptor combination, a specific inflammatory response is initiated.

Expression of chemokines and their receptors play a dual role in the ability of cells to give rise to either benign or malignant progressively growing tumors. On the one hand, chemokines secreted by either the cancer-initiating cells or the normal cells surrounding them can help limit tumor development by increasing leukocyte migration toward the site, and inducing long-term anti-tumor immunity. On the other hand, they may facilitate survival, proliferation, and metastatic potential of tumor cells. The initially secreted chemokines at the tumor site play a key role defining the composition of the connective tissue and recruiting tumor infiltrating white blood cells bearing specific chemokine receptors.

Tumor cells are able to hijack the chemokine receptor/chemokine system for their own benefit. They “convert” infiltrating leukocytes into immuno-tolerant allies, since they are able to (1) attract suppressor T-cells and neutrophils, (2) hijack immature dendritic cells, avoiding their migration toward the lymph nodes and therefore antigen presentation, favoring a tolerogenic profile, and (3) participate in the recruitment and induction of myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

In certain diseases, discrete chemokine receptors that play a specific role in the pathology of interest have been identified, and the therapeutic goal is to specifically inhibit that receptor to provide clinical benefit. Accordingly, each of our drug candidates is a small molecule designed to target a specific chemokine or chemoattractant receptor, thereby blocking the negative inflammatory or suppressive response driven by that particular receptor, while leaving the rest of the immune system intact. Using our pioneering insights and proprietary technologies designed to better understand the chemoattractant system, we believe that we have established the broadest pipeline of novel drug candidates targeting chemoattractant receptors. Our compounds are designed to be highly potent, selective to minimize the risk of off-target effects and generally orally-available for improved patient compliance. As small molecules, they are also easier and less costly to manufacture than protein therapeutics, or biologics.

Our pipeline comprises the following programs:

Orphan and Rare Diseases:

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Immuno-Oncology:

Chronic Kidney Disease:

Other Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases:

All of our drug candidates are wholly owned and being developed independently by us. Our strategy also includes identification of next generation compounds related to our drug candidates, all of which have been internally discovered.

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We have developed a suite of proprietary technologies, which we call the EnabaLink drug discovery engine, to better understand the chemoattractant system and to accelerate the identification of small molecule lead compounds that target and inhibit the function of specific chemokine receptors. We believe this platform provides us with an advantage in the rapid identification of highly specific drug candidates. An important element of this platform is our thorough map of the chemokine network, which allows us to better understand how a given chemokine-chemokine receptor interaction impacts the migration of cells in a given disease. With this understanding, we can apply our advanced screening methodologies, including a purpose-built high-throughput robotic screening technology, known as the Reverse Activation of Migration, or RAM, assay, to identify small molecule inhibitors for the chemokine receptor most closely associated with a specific disease. The RAM assay is designed to markedly reduce or eliminate non-specific inhibitors and toxic inhibitors of cell migration, resulting in highly specific lead candidates. This technology allows us to screen against targets that are not easily accessible with traditional technologies, providing us with what we believe to be a competitive advantage in drug discovery. We have used our EnabaLink drug discovery engine in our drug candidate programs and continue to apply these powerful research tools in our early stage drug discovery efforts.

We commenced operations in 1997. Our principal executive offices are located at 850 Maude Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043, and our telephone number is (650) 210-2900.

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RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “predict,” “seek,” “contemplate,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

Any forward-looking statement in this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference herein reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, industry and future growth. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. For all forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth the historical ratios of earnings to fixed charges for ChemoCentryx and its consolidated subsidiary for the periods indicated.

For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings represent net income (loss) before provision for income taxes plus fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense, the remeasurement of convertible debt to fair value, and an estimate of the interest factor inherent in our operating leases. The portion of total rental expense that represents the interest factor is estimated to be 33%.

For the periods indicated above, we had no outstanding shares of preferred stock with required dividend payments. Therefore, the ratios of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends are identical to the ratios presented in the tables above.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock is not complete and may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our capital stock. This description is summarized from, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, our certificate of incorporation, which has been publicly filed with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

Our authorized capital stock consists of:

Common Stock

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, and do not have cumulative voting rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then outstanding preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as and when declared by our board of directors. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. Holders of common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the 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, which we may designate in the future. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our affairs, holders of common stock will be entitled to share ratably in our assets that are remaining after payment or provision for payment of all of our debts and obligations and after liquidation payments to holders of outstanding shares of preferred stock, if any.

As of March 31, 2016, we had 44,290,506 shares of common stock outstanding and approximately 52 record holders of our common stock and there were 9,195,058 shares of common stock subject to outstanding stock option awards and 292,481 shares of common stock subject to outstanding restricted stock unit awards.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

Preferred Stock

We currently have no outstanding shares of preferred stock. Under our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors is authorized to issue shares of our preferred stock from time to time, in one or more classes or series, without stockholder approval. Prior to the issuance of shares of each series, the board of directors is required by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the DGCL, and our certificate of incorporation to adopt resolutions and file a certificate of designation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The certificate of designation fixes for each class or series the designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions, including the following:

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All shares of preferred stock offered by this prospectus will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable and will not have any preemptive or similar rights. Our board of directors could authorize the issuance of additional shares of preferred stock with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction that might involve a premium price for holders of the shares or that holders might believe to be in their best interests.

We will describe in a prospectus supplement relating to the class or series of preferred stock being offered the following terms:

Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the preferred stock will rank, relating to dividends and upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up:

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The term equity securities does not include convertible debt securities.

Warrants

As of March 31, 2016, there were outstanding warrants to purchase 150,000 shares of our common stock, which expire on February 13, 2022. The warrants contain customary anti-dilution and net issuance provisions and are not callable by us.

Registration Rights

As of March 31, 2016, the holders of 15,718,215 shares of common stock are entitled, pursuant to our amended and restated investors rights agreement, to certain registration rights with respect to such common stock. These registration rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations, including the right of the underwriters of an offering to limit the number of shares included in any such registration under certain circumstances. We are generally required to pay all expenses incurred in connection with registrations effected in connection with the following rights, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.

Demand Rights. Subject to specified limitations, the holders of these registrable securities may require that we register all or a portion of such securities for sale under the Securities Act, as long as at least 30% of the registrable securities are sought to be registered, or a lesser percentage if the anticipated aggregate offering price of such securities, net of underwriting discounts and commissions, is at least $10,000,000. Stockholders with these registration rights who are not part of an initial registration demand are entitled to notice and are entitled to include their shares of common stock in the registration. Under certain circumstances, the underwriters, if any, may limit the number of shares included in any such registration.

Incidental Rights. If we propose to register any of our securities under the Securities Act, for sale to the public, either for our own account or for the account of other security holders, or both, other than in connection with:

the holders of these registrable securities are entitled to notice of such registration and are entitled to include their common stock in the registration. Under certain circumstances, the underwriters, if any, may limit the number of shares included in any such registration.

Form S-3 Rights. In addition, the holders of these registrable securities will have the right to cause us to register all or a portion of these shares on a Form S-3, provided that we are eligible to use this form. We will not be required to effect such a registration unless the aggregate offering price of the shares to be registered, net of underwriting discounts and commissions, is expected to exceed $2,000,000, and we will only be required to effect one such registration in any twelve-month period. Stockholders with these registration rights who are not part of an initial registration demand are entitled to notice and are entitled to include their shares of common stock in the registration.

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Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, our Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware Law

Some provisions of Delaware law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could make the following transactions more difficult: acquisition of us by means of a tender offer; acquisition of us by means of a proxy contest or otherwise; or removal of our incumbent officers and directors. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish or could deter transactions that stockholders may otherwise consider to be in their best interest or in our best interests, including transactions that might result in a premium over the market price for our shares.

These provisions, summarized below, are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased 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 these proposals because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

Undesignated Preferred Stock

The ability to authorize undesignated preferred stock makes it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of us. These and other provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control or management of our company.

Stockholder Meetings

Our charter documents provide that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by our chairman of the board of directors, Chief Executive Officer or President, or by the board of directors.

Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals

Our amended and restated bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the board of directors or a committee of the board of directors.

Elimination of Stockholder Action by Written Consent

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation eliminates the right of stockholders to act by written consent without a meeting.

Election and Removal of Directors

Our board of directors is divided into three classes. The directors in each class will serve for a three-year term, one class being elected each year by our stockholders. This system of electing and removing directors may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, because it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which prohibits persons deemed “interested stockholders” from engaging in a “business combination” with a publicly-held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates,

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owns, or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. The existence of this provision may have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the board of directors, such as discouraging takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price of our common stock.

Amendment of Charter Provisions

The amendment of any of the above provisions, except for the provision making it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock, would require approval by holders of at least 66 2/3% of our then outstanding common stock.

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, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions 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.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities. To the extent the information contained in the prospectus supplement differs from this summary description, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee named in the prospectus supplement. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

As used in this section only, “ChemoCentryx,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to ChemoCentryx, Inc. excluding our subsidiary, unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

General

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

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We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on, any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company (DTC or the Depositary) or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see the section entitled “Global Securities” for more information.

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions that may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) that could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

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Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to, any person (a “successor person”) unless:

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof. (Section 6.1)

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that

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portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture, unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense that might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series. (Section 6.12)

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and premium and any interest on, that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each holder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 6.8)

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Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

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Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on, any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.13)

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the irrevocable deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on, and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of, the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable U.S. federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)

Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

The conditions include:

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No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or stockholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the debt securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York. (Section 10.10)

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or preferred stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled to:

Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth 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.

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A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock or preferred stock, if any.

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

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GLOBAL SECURITIES

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

Unless we indicate differently in a prospectus supplement, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

DTC has advised us that it is:

DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

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So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.

Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.

So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.

Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility; disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC; and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.

The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

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As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:

we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.

We have obtained the information in this section and elsewhere in this prospectus concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system from sources that are believed to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

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 or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers. The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:

Each time that we sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us, if applicable.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form

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of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

Any common stock will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, but any other securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker dealer may not exceed 8% of the aggregate proceeds of the offering.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, California, will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of ChemoCentryx, Inc. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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, 2015, as set forth in their report, 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.

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$75,000,000

Common Stock

Prospectus Supplement

Piper Jaffray

December 4, 2018