Peptide & Experimental
Noopept
Dipeptide nootropic (prodrug of cyclo-prolylglycine), over-the-counter medicine in Russia · omberacetam, GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, Ноопепт
Noopept is one of the best-known nootropics from Russia: a small dipeptide designed in the laboratory that has been available there over the counter in pharmacies for years. There are clinical studies in people with mild memory disorders, and they are consistently positive. A placebo-controlled study, however, could not be found.
In short
Noopept, international nonproprietary name omberacetam, is an approved over-the-counter medicine in Russia for memory and concentration disorders, for example after stroke or brain trauma. In the body it gives rise to an endogenous memory peptide, and in animal experiments growth factors such as BDNF rise in the hippocampus. Russian studies in patients show better test scores than with piracetam and good short-term tolerability. The catch: a placebo-controlled study could not be found, data for healthy people are missing, and in Germany Noopept is neither a medicine nor a dietary supplement.
What it is
Chemically, Noopept is the ethyl ester of N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine, a dipeptide of just two amino acids with a small protecting group. It was developed at the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology in Moscow, in the school of the pharmacologist S. B. Seredenin. The idea: to recreate the structure of the classic piracetam with a short peptide. Its laboratory name was GVS-111.
Since 2018, the World Health Organization has listed the active substance under the nonproprietary name omberacetam. In Russia it is dispensed over the counter as a tablet under the trade name Noopept. The Russian prescribing information names memory and attention disorders after brain trauma, in cerebral circulatory disorders and in states of exhaustion as indications.
How it is supposed to work
The most interesting finding concerns its conversion in the body. In 1996 the developer group found an endogenous ring-shaped dipeptide in rat brain, cyclo-prolylglycine, which promoted memory in animal experiments. After administration of Noopept, exactly this molecule rose 2.5-fold in rat brain within one hour, while Noopept itself could no longer be detected there. Noopept is therefore regarded as a precursor that becomes a natural messenger substance in the body.
There are further leads from the laboratory. In rats, the formation of the growth factors NGF and BDNF rose in the hippocampus, after just a single dose and without tolerance over 28 days. In cell culture, Noopept specifically activated the oxygen-deficiency switch HIF-1; in brain slices it acted on inhibitory nerve cells via certain nicotinic receptors. How much of this happens in humans has not been measured.
A practical advantage over many other peptides: Noopept also works when swallowed. As early as 2001, the developer group showed in rats that the memory-protecting effect is retained after oral administration. In humans there is only indirect evidence for this, for example a Russian EEG study from 2008 in which patients’ brain wave rhythms shifted in the direction typical of nootropics: more alpha and beta activity, less delta activity.
One often reads that Noopept is a thousand times more potent than piracetam. The figure comes from a review by the developers and describes the effective dose in animal experiments, which was 1,000 times lower. That does not mean a stronger effect.
What users describe
In the nootropics scene, Noopept is one of the most frequently discussed substances; an analysis of psychonaut forums from 2020 lists it among 142 cognitive enhancers discussed there. The Russian prescribing information describes the first noticeable effects as mild anxiety relief and stimulation after 5 to 7 days, with effects on memory and attention only after 14 to 20 days. This is a manufacturer statement, not a measurement in healthy people.
What is well supported
Noopept is best supported where it was approved: in mild cognitive disorders resulting from vascular disease, stroke or brain trauma. In 2026, a panel of Russian neurologists and geriatricians compiled twelve clinical papers with 20 to 360 patients. All report better scores in memory and attention tests, often also less anxiety, exhaustion and sleep problems.
Two of these papers are randomized comparisons. In a small randomized comparison study against piracetam, Noopept performed better in the physicians’ overall assessment, and adverse events occurred in 25 percent instead of 55 percent. In a second study with 150 patients, the MoCA memory test rose more with omberacetam than with two other nootropics. Preclinically, a six-month toxicity study in rabbits showed no lasting organ damage and no genotoxic effect.
What the studies show
Noopept versus piracetam (2008)
Small randomized, multicenter comparison study against piracetam in mild cognitive disorders after vascular disease or brain trauma. In the physicians’ overall assessment, the condition improved markedly with Noopept in 90 percent, significantly more often than with piracetam, with fewer side effects. The original paper is in Russian, and an abstract is missing in PubMed.
Three nootropics compared (2022)
150 patients with vascular cognitive disorders without dementia were divided into three groups of 50 each: omberacetam, a combination of piracetam and cinnarizine, or phenibut, each in addition to basic therapy, over 45 days. The MoCA score rose from 19.8 to 23.3 points with omberacetam, less in the other groups. 4.5 months after the end of treatment it was still 0.8 points above baseline, no longer statistically significant (p = 0.061). The study was supported by the manufacturer.
After stroke (2011)
Open-label study with 60 patients after ischemic stroke and mild cognitive disorder, Noopept group versus control group. After 2 months, the memory test and verbal fluency were significantly better in the Noopept group, and the global assessment was mild improvement; in the control group there was no change.
Where the data stop
The most important gap: a placebo-controlled, double-blind study could not be found. All comparisons are against other nootropics or against untreated controls, and those who know what they are receiving often score better on questionnaires. The studies come without exception from Russia, several are supported by the manufacturer, and representatives of the developer school took part in the 2026 expert panel. Independent confirmation from other countries is missing.
For healthy adults who want to improve concentration or learning, there is practically nothing: a climate chamber study in 20- to 24-year-olds and a study in older teachers in which Noopept was combined with self-massage. The entire mechanism comes from rats, cell culture and brain slices. Even the pharmacokinetics in humans are known only from the manufacturer’s information, and the high brain concentration stated there does not fit neatly with the rat finding that Noopept could no longer be detected in the brain one hour after administration.
Status, approval and legal
In Russia, Noopept is an approved over-the-counter medicine; the WHO has listed the active substance as omberacetam since 2018. In Germany and the EU it is not approved, neither as a medicine nor as a dietary supplement. Hungary added Noopept to its list of new psychoactive substances on August 25, 2020. It is not approved in the US either; in 2019 the FDA warned a retailer that sold Noopept and phenibut. Noopept is not named on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List; a 2025 analysis assesses the status as unclear and considers classification as a relative of the prohibited stimulant 4-phenylpiracetam possible. Competitive athletes should therefore be cautious.
Safety
In the Russian studies, Noopept was well tolerated in the short term, with fewer adverse events in the comparison with piracetam. The Russian prescribing information names allergic reactions and, in severe hypertension, a possible rise in blood pressure; it excludes pregnancy, breastfeeding, minors and severe liver and kidney disease. There are no long-term data beyond a few months. The greater practical risk lies in the gray market: in a US analysis, 75 percent of declared amounts in memory supplements were incorrect, and individual products contained up to 4 non-approved active substances, including phenibut. A case report describes heat stroke with liver failure in a marathon runner after modafinil and Noopept; the connection is unclear. Persistent memory problems should be assessed by a physician.
BK-Score Thin human evidence
| Human evidence | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | 4 | |
| Safety data | 4 | |
| Hype gap | 3 | |
| Track record of use | 6 |
Evidence 4, because there are several clinical studies in patients with mild cognitive disorders, including a small randomized comparison study against piracetam (Neznamov & Teleshova 2008) and a randomized comparison with 150 patients against piracetam/cinnarizine and phenibut (Dadasheva 2022, MoCA 19.8 to 23.3 in 45 days), but not a single placebo-controlled, double-blind study; all papers are Russian, several are close to the manufacturer, and the endpoints are test scales rather than hard endpoints. Mechanism 4, because the chain of action – conversion to cyclo-prolylglycine (2.5-fold in rat brain, Gudasheva 1997), more NGF and BDNF in the hippocampus (Ostrovskaya 2008), HIF-1 activation in cell culture – is plausible and well described preclinically, but not confirmed in humans. Safety 4, because controlled tolerability data are available only over weeks to a few months (adverse events 25 instead of 55 percent with piracetam), plus a six-month animal study without lasting organ damage, but no published long-term or pharmacovigilance analysis. Hype 3, because the scene markets Noopept as a memory enhancer for healthy people, for which no data exist, and the formula a thousand times more potent than piracetam stems from the effective dose in animal experiments being 1,000-fold lower (Ostrovskaia 2002). Use 6, because Noopept has been sold for years in Russia as an over-the-counter medicine under regulatory oversight, and outside Russia only on the gray market. Direction open, because although the existing studies are uniformly positive, without a placebo comparison they cannot show how much of this is due to the active substance.
The score rates the state of knowledge, not the substance. “Safety data 9” means well studied – not harmless.
Subjective assessment by Biohacking Kompakt based on published scoring rules – not a scientific rating and not a medical recommendation. Rules and all ratings (German)
Frequently asked questions about Noopept
What is Noopept?
Noopept is a dipeptide developed in Russia with the nonproprietary name omberacetam. There it is an over-the-counter medicine for mild memory and concentration disorders, for example after stroke or brain trauma. In the body it is converted into an endogenous memory peptide.
Is Noopept a racetam?
Only in the broader sense. The developers wanted to recreate the structure of piracetam with a short peptide, which is why Noopept is often counted among the racetams. Chemically, however, it is a dipeptide and not a pyrrolidone derivative like piracetam.
Is Noopept really a thousand times more potent than piracetam?
No, that is not what the source says. In animal experiments, the developers found an effective dose a thousand times lower. That says nothing about the strength of the effect in humans.
Does Noopept work in healthy people?
There are no reliable data on this. The studies concern patients with mild cognitive disorders after vascular disease or brain injury. In healthy people, only two small special studies are available.
Is Noopept addictive?
The Russian prescribing information denies dependence and withdrawal effects, but no systematic study of this was found. Case reports of dependence, such as exist for phenibut, were not found for Noopept during the research.
Is Noopept legal in Germany?
Noopept is approved in Germany neither as a medicine nor as a dietary supplement; it is available only via the gray market. In Hungary it has been on the list of new psychoactive substances since 2020.
Related
- Related topicSunifiram
- Related topicPhenibut
- Related topicPhenylpiracetam (Phenotropil)
- Related topicSemax
- Related topicVinpocetine
- Related topicBromantane (Ladasten)
Sources
- Gudasheva et al., European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics 1997 – Noopept as a precursor of cyclo-prolylglycine
- Ostrovskaya et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2008 – NGF and BDNF in the rat hippocampus
- Neznamov and Teleshova, Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology 2009 – Noopept versus piracetam
- Dadasheva et al., Nevrologiya, neiropsikhiatriya, psikhosomatika 2022 – omberacetam, piracetam/cinnarizine and phenibut compared
- Amelin et al., Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii 2011 – Noopept after stroke
- Tkacheva et al., Russian Journal of Geriatric Medicine 2026 – expert resolution on omberacetam
- Kovalenko et al., Eksperimentalnaya i Klinicheskaya Farmakologiya 2002 – preclinical toxicity
- Cohen et al., Neurology Clinical Practice 2021 – non-approved active substances in memory supplements
- WHO Drug Information 2018 – Recommended INN List 79 (omberacetam)
- Pokrywka et al., Biology of Sport 2025 – brain doping substances and the WADA list
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Information only, not medical advice and not a usage or dosage recommendation. Prescription-only and unapproved substances belong in the hands of a physician. Last updated: 2026-10-04.