UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): September 16, 2014

Sage Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (617) 299-8380

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

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

Item 5.02.  Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On September 11, 2014, Sage Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) elected Michael F. Cola to the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Cola was elected as a Class III director and will serve until the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in 2017 or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, and was also appointed to serve on the Company’s Audit Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Cola served as President of Specialty Pharmaceuticals at Shire plc, a global specialty pharmaceutical company, from 2007 until April 2012. He joined Shire in 2005 as Executive Vice President of Global Therapeutic Business Units and Portfolio Management. Prior to joining Shire, he was with Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., a growth capital provider to life sciences and technology companies, where he served as President of the Life Sciences Group. Mr. Cola received a B.A. in biology and physics from Ursinus College and an M.S. in biomedical science from Drexel University. He serves on the Board of Directors of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., NuPathe Inc. and Pennsylvania BIO, the statewide association representing the bioscience community. He also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia.

As a non-employee director, Mr. Cola will receive cash and equity compensation paid by the Company pursuant to its non-employee director compensation program. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Cola and any other person pursuant to which Mr. Cola was selected as a director, and there are no transactions between Mr. Cola and the Company that would require disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

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SIGNATURES

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