Noopept (omberacetam): research, side effects and dosage in studies

In short

Noopept (omberacetam, GVS-111) is a dipeptide derivative developed in Russia and modelled on piracetam [1]D [2]. In Finland it is in Annex 1 A of Fimea's medicines list, so it is always treated like a prescription-only medicine [25]regulator, and the human evidence comes from small, mostly uncontrolled Russian studies [7, 8, 9]B.

• Chemically, Noopept is a chain of two amino acids (proline and glycine) with one end modified by a phenylacetyl group and the other made into an ethyl ester [1]D. So it is neither an ordinary peptide nor a small molecule like piracetam.
• Almost all research is Russian and centred on one research institute. There are about ten human studies, but as far as we know none of them is a placebo-controlled randomised trial [6, 7, 8]B.
• There are promising findings in animal and cell models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease [17]C [18, 19]D, but they have not been tested in humans.
• European medicines control laboratories have found Noopept on the illegal market, and in US dietary supplements its amounts and labelling were often wrong [22, 23]D.
• There is no approved dosage in the EU [27]regulator. All figures on this page are doses used in studies.

What is Noopept?

Noopept is N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, also called omberacetam and code-named GVS-111 [1]D. It is a drug taken by mouth that is counted among memory-supporting (nootropic) substances and often among the racetams, although its structure differs clearly from piracetam [1]D.

Moscow researchers designed Noopept to mimic piracetam using a two-amino-acid peptide [2]. Its structure contains proline and glycine, so Noopept is a dipeptide derivative: a short modified peptide, not a whole protein [1]D [17]C.

In rats, Noopept is converted in the body into cyclo-prolylglycine, a small ring-shaped peptide the body makes itself. According to the researchers, Noopept may therefore act as a precursor [3]C. Semax and Selank come from the same Russian setting. Noopept is one of the brain-related substances in the Peptides A-Z list.

Evidence at a glance

Each cell gives the kind of study and its source. The letter is the evidence level, not the result.

"-" = no such study is known.

What is Noopept studied for?

In humans, Noopept has been studied mainly in mild memory and concentration problems caused by impaired blood flow in the brain or brain injury [6, 7, 8]B. None of these is an approved use in the EU [27]regulator.

• Mild cognitive impairment: impaired brain blood flow, brain injuries and stroke [6, 7, 8, 12]B.
• Neurasthenia: one Russian article [13]B.
• Preventing side effects of tuberculosis drugs: one study, 60 patients [9]B.
• Healthy people adapting to heat, cold and thin air: one study in young volunteers [10]B.
• Work capacity of older teachers: one study combining Noopept with self-massage of the head and neck [11]B.

As a dietary supplement, Noopept is sold to support memory and concentration [22]D. Such use in healthy people has not been studied.

How does Noopept work?

Noopept's developers describe its mode of action as many-sided: curbing oxidative stress and inflammation, blocking the harmful effects of excess calcium and glutamate, and improving blood flow properties [2]. These observations come from animal and cell studies.

In the rat hippocampus, the brain's memory centre, Noopept increased messenger RNA for the nerve growth factors NGF and BDNF after both a single dose and 28 days of dosing [16]C. In nerve cell cultures it reduced cell death caused by oxidative stress [20]D. According to the developer group, its mode of action also includes increased activity of HIF-1, a factor that regulates adaptation to low oxygen [15]D.

In rats, Noopept was absorbed from the gut and crossed the blood-brain barrier unchanged [4]C, and its main breakdown product in the brain was cyclo-prolylglycine [3]C. The mechanism has not been studied in humans.

Has Noopept been studied in humans?

Yes, but poorly. About ten human studies have been published, almost all in Russian-language journals. None is a randomised placebo-controlled trial, and for most only a short English abstract is available, or not even that [6, 7, 8, 12, 13]B.

Memory and cognition

• Neznamov and Teleshova 2009. A comparative study of Noopept and piracetam in patients with mild cognitive disorders after impaired brain blood flow or brain injury [6]B. No abstract has been published, so we do not report its results.
• Bochkarev 2008. In the same patient group, Noopept strengthened the alpha and beta rhythms of the EEG and weakened the delta rhythm. The authors interpreted the changes as general activation and an anxiety-relieving effect, and the effect was clearest in vascular disorders [7]B.
• Amelin 2011. An open study included 60 stroke patients and a control group. Noopept was given at 20 mg a day for two months. MMSE memory test and verbal fluency scores improved in the treatment group compared with the control group, and the authors described the substance as well tolerated [8]B.
• Barantsevich 2009 and Chutko 2008. Articles on Noopept in encephalopathy due to impaired brain blood flow and in neurasthenia [12, 13]B. Neither has a published abstract.

Other human studies

• Mordyk 2009, tuberculosis. 60 newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients, of whom 30 received Noopept 10 mg twice a day for the first month of treatment. According to the authors, anxiety decreased and nervous system and heart side effects of tuberculosis drugs occurred less often [9]B.
• Shabanov 2007, healthy volunteers. People aged 20-24 were studied in a climate chamber in cold, heat and thin air. Noopept improved psychological functioning in cold and heat, and in heat also physical work capacity [10]B.
• Lysenko 2018, older teachers. A two-week period combining Noopept with self-massage of the head and neck improved work capacity more than Noopept alone. The effect lasted 1-2 months and was close to baseline by the end of the third month [11]B.

What these studies have in common is that they are small, short and without placebo comparison, and they were published in Russian journals whose peer review practices we do not know. We know of no independent Western human studies.

Promising, but only in animal and cell studies

These findings come from animals or cell cultures and have not been studied in humans. Animal and laboratory results cannot be transferred directly to humans. One Noopept animal study has been retracted because of image manipulation [24]E, not peer-reviewed, and it is not used on this page.

• Alzheimer's disease no human studies

  In mice with induced Alzheimer-like changes, Noopept restored spatial memory and increased antibodies against small amyloid aggregates [17]C. In cell culture it reduced amyloid-induced cell death and excess phosphorylation of tau protein [18]D.

  If it held in humans: the substance could slow Alzheimer-like changes in the brain.

  Why it might not translate: in the mouse model the changes were induced by removing the olfactory bulbs, which does not match the human disease, and the cell study used one cell line. All the work comes from the same Russian research network.

  Evidence now: one mouse study and one cell study, both from the Noopept developers' group. We found no registered human study in Alzheimer's disease.

• Parkinson's disease no human studies

  In the laboratory, Noopept sped up the joining of small toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates into larger fibres and so reduced their toxicity to nerve cells [19]D. In Parkinson-model rats, a combination of forskolin and Noopept given into the nose eased motor symptoms and nerve cell loss [21]C.

  If it held in humans: the substance could slow the progression of Parkinson's disease.

  Why it might not translate: in the rat study Noopept was part of a combination, so its own share cannot be separated, and the study's first author is a co-founder of the company developing the combination. A cell study does not show what happens in the body.

  Evidence now: one Swedish cell study and one US rat study. No registered human study.

• Protecting nerve cells no human studies

  In human cortical nerve cell cultures, Noopept reduced cell death caused by oxidative stress, including in cells from fetuses with Down syndrome [20]D. In rats it increased the production of nerve growth factors in the brain [16]C.

  If it held in humans: the substance could protect nerve cells, for example in impaired brain blood flow or degenerative diseases.

  Why it might not translate: in cell culture the substance surrounds the cells directly, but in the body it is broken down quickly [3]C. The increase in nerve growth factors has been measured only in rats.

  Evidence now: one US-Russian cell study and Russian rat studies. Nerve cell protection has not been measured in humans.

Who is researching Noopept?

Noopept was developed by researchers at the Institute of Pharmacology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow [2] [6]B, and most animal and cell studies come from the same group [3, 4]C [15]D. The human studies were done in Russian hospitals and universities [6, 7, 8, 9]B.

There is little work from elsewhere: a Swedish cell study [19]D, US cell and rat studies [20]D [21]C and a Polish chemical analysis [1]D.

Author of this page: editorial team

This page was written by the Molecular Recovery editorial team. The draft was made with the help of AI, and the claims were checked against the sources (AI policy). The page has not been medically reviewed. How we work: About us.

How long does Noopept stay in the body?

We found no exact human half-life in the published abstracts. According to a species comparison, Noopept is eliminated more slowly in humans than in rats and rabbits, and there are large differences between individuals [5]B. No breakdown products were found in human plasma, possibly because of the small dose and low concentrations [5]B.

In rats, Noopept given into a vein was broken down very quickly, and in rabbits the unchanged substance circulated in the blood for longer [5]C. One hour after a dose given to rats, Noopept itself was no longer found in the brain, but the level of cyclo-prolylglycine had risen 2.5-fold [3]C.

What are the side effects of Noopept?

The abstracts of the human studies do not report side effects in detail. The authors of the stroke study described Noopept's safety as good [8]B, but the abstracts do not give the number or type of side effects.

What users report. In the Reddit accounts we compiled (not research), 26 of 90 people (29%) reported some harm, most often: insomnia (6, 7%), anxiety, restlessness or irritability (5, 6%) and fatigue (5, 6%). People tend to post when something goes wrong, so this share does not tell how common harms are. Noopept is sold as a substance to sharpen thinking, and 78 of 102 accounts came from r/Nootropics. The reported benefits are feelings, such as focus and alertness. 44 of 90 people (49%) used other substances at the same time, most often alpha-GPC (18), caffeine (12) and phenylpiracetam (12). The harms in detail: Noopept user experiences.

Animal and laboratory studies

In a six-month toxicity study in rabbits, Noopept given by mouth caused no lasting organ changes and no allergic, immune-damaging or gene-damaging effects, and it did not affect reproduction or the development of offspring [14]C. In cell cultures, Noopept did not increase cell division, which the authors take as a sign that it does not speed up cell growth [15]D.

The particular risk of supplements

US memory supplements tested contained other unapproved drugs besides Noopept, some not named on the label, and 9/12 of the declared amounts were wrong [22]D. The user then does not know what or how much they are taking. On peptide side effects more generally: side effects in studies.

Interactions and who has no data

We found no human interaction studies. In mice, five weeks of Noopept pre-treatment enhanced the anticonvulsant effect of the epilepsy drug valproate, although Noopept alone did not prevent seizures [28]C. This has not been studied in humans.

Tuberculosis patients took Noopept with tuberculosis drugs without reported problems [9]B, but this was not a formal interaction study. There are no human studies on pregnancy, breastfeeding or children; in rabbits no effects on offspring development were seen [14]C.

What speaks against it and what is unknown

The biggest problem is the quality of the evidence: there are no placebo-controlled studies, and almost all research comes from one country and one research network.

Counter-evidence

• No placebo comparison. The human studies were open or compared Noopept with another drug [6, 8]B.
• Retracted publication. An Iranian-Russian animal study of Noopept in persistent inflammation was retracted in 2021 because its images reused the same samples for different experimental groups [24]E, not peer-reviewed.
• Supplement contents do not match the label. Ten memory supplements contained five unapproved drugs, some not named on the label, and some declared substances were missing [22]D.
• Illegal market. In a market surveillance study by official European medicines control laboratories, Noopept was also seized as large quantities of raw material [23]D.

What the evidence does not support

• "Noopept improves memory in healthy people": in healthy people only adaptation to climate conditions has been studied [10]B, not memory.
• "Noopept prevents Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease": the findings come from mice, rats and cell cultures [17, 21]C [18, 19]D.
• "It is a dietary supplement": in Finland Noopept is always treated like a prescription-only medicine [25]regulator.
• "A thousand times stronger than piracetam": the developers' comparison concerned the effective dose level in animal studies, not an effect measured in humans [2].

What is unknown

• Whether Noopept works better than placebo. No placebo-controlled human study is known to have been published.
• What long-term use does to humans. The abstract of the longest study we found mentions a 12-month period, but its results are reported for two months of treatment [8]B.
• How long Noopept stays in the human body. On elimination, the species comparison says that it is slow and variable [5]B.

Noopept dosage in studies

Noopept has no approved dosage in the EU [27]regulator. Below are the doses used in human studies as reported in the abstracts. They are not recommendations.

What the figures do not tell you. The doses come from two small Russian studies without placebo comparison, and they do not show an effective or safe dose. The abstracts of the other human studies do not state a dose. Detailed table with sources: Noopept doses in studies. Unit converter: Noopept calculator.

Noopept vs piracetam: what is the difference?

Noopept was designed as a dipeptide counterpart of piracetam, but chemically they are different substances: piracetam is a small ring-shaped molecule, Noopept a modified two-amino-acid chain [1]D [2].

In the developers' animal studies, Noopept acted at a dose level about a thousand times lower than piracetam and affected more stages of memory [2]. In humans, Noopept and piracetam have been compared in one Russian study [6]B, whose results are not available as an abstract. The related substance 4-phenylpiracetam (carphedon) is on WADA's Prohibited List; Noopept is not [26]regulator.

Noopept combinations

Noopept has hardly been studied in combinations. In older teachers, Noopept together with self-massage of the head and neck improved work capacity more than Noopept alone [11]B. In rats, a forskolin and Noopept combination given into the nose eased the symptoms of a Parkinson model [21]C.

In dietary supplements, Noopept has been sold together with other unapproved substances such as aniracetam, phenibut and picamilon, and the effects of such combinations have not been studied [22]D.

Is Noopept legal in Finland?

Noopept is in Annex 1 A of Fimea's medicines list under the name "Noopept". Substances in Annex 1 A are always treated, because of their effect, like medicines supplied only on prescription [25]regulator. So it cannot be sold in Finland as a dietary supplement.

• EU. EMA's list of centrally authorised medicines contains no medicine with Noopept or omberacetam [27]regulator.
• The same annex also lists the Russian peptides Selank and N-acetyl-selank and N-acetyl-semax; plain Semax is not named [25]regulator.
• The label "for research use only" is a classification label, not permission for human use.

Overview of the law: peptides and the law in Finland. On bringing them back from travel: Travelling with peptides.

This is not legal advice. Disclaimer.

Noopept product quality: how to assess it

You cannot be sure what is in a Noopept product without analysis. In US memory supplements, the declared amounts were wrong in 9/12 cases, and the products contained drugs not named on the label [22]D.

On a certificate of analysis (COA), check that identity was confirmed by mass spectrometry (MS) or NMR, that HPLC purity is stated and that the batch number matches the package. Noopept's crystal structure and physical properties have been published, so reference data exist [1]D. How to read one: how to read a COA.

What a certificate does not tell you: whether the product contains other substances that were not looked for, and whether every batch matches the tested sample.

FAQ

Read the research yourself: sources

Every source opens the original publication or the regulator's page. The level shows what the source itself reports.

1. Araj SK, Szeleszczuk Ł, Gubica T, et al. Physicochemical and structural analysis of N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (Noopept): an active pharmaceutical ingredient with nootropic activity. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2025;252:116474. PMID 39298839 D
2. Ostrovskaia RU, Gudasheva TA, Voronina TA, et al. [The original novel nootropic and neuroprotective agent noopept]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2002;65(5):66-72. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 12596521 (review)
3. Gudasheva TA, Boyko SS, Ostrovskaya RU, et al. The major metabolite of dipeptide piracetam analogue GVS-111 in rat brain and its similarity to endogenous neuropeptide cyclo-L-prolylglycine. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 1997;22(3):245-252. PMID 9358206 C
4. Boiko SS, Ostrovskaya RU, Zherdev VP, et al. Pharmacokinetics of new nootropic acylprolyldipeptide and its penetration across the blood-brain barrier after oral administration. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2000;129(4):359-361. PMID 10977920 C
5. Boĭko SS, Korotkov SA, Zherdev VP, et al. [Interspecies differences of noopept pharmacokinetics]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2004;67(1):40-43. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 15079908 C
6. Neznamov GG, Teleshova ES. Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in the treatment of patients with mild cognitive disorders in organic brain diseases of vascular and traumatic origin. Neurosci Behav Physiol. 2009;39(3):311-321. No abstract. PMID 19234797 B
7. Bochkarev VK, Teleshova ES, Siuniakov SA, et al. [Clinical and electroencephalographic characteristic of noopept in patients with mild cognitive impairment of posttraumatic and vascular origin]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(11):47-54. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 19008801 B
8. Amelin AV, Iliukhina AIu, Shmonin AA. [Noopept in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment in patients with stroke]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2011;111(10 Pt 1):44-46. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 22500312 B
9. Mordyk AV, Lysov AV, Kondria AV, et al. [Prevention of neuro- and cardiotoxic side effects of tuberculosis chemotherapy with noopept]. Klin Med (Mosk). 2009;87(5):59-62. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 19565831 B
10. Shabanov PD, Ganapol'skiĭ VP, Aleksandrov PV. [Meteoadaptogenic properties of peptide drugs in healthy volunteers]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2007;70(6):41-47. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 18318195 B
11. Lysenko AV, Lysenko DS, Buinov LG, et al. [The influence of self-massage combined with drug Noopept on the professional performance of teachers older]. Adv Gerontol. 2018;31(6):996-1001. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 30877834 B
12. Barantsevich ER, Posokhina OV, Sturova IuV. [Efficacy of noopept in discirculatory encephalopathy]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2009;109(5):62-64. In Russian, no abstract. PMID 19938275 B
13. Chutko LS, Surushkina SIu, Nikishena IS, et al. [The using of noopept in treatment of neurasthenia]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(12):51-52. In Russian, no abstract. PMID 19253467 B
14. Kovalenko LP, Smol'nikova NM, Alekseeva SV, et al. [Preclinical study of noopept toxicity]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2002;65(1):62-64. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 12025790 C
15. Zainullina LF, Ivanova TV, Ostrovskaya RU, et al. Drug with neuroprotective properties Noopept does not stimulate cell proliferation. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2019;166(4):466-468. PMID 30788746 D
16. Ostrovskaya RU, Gudasheva TA, Zaplina AP, et al. Noopept stimulates the expression of NGF and BDNF in rat hippocampus. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2008;146(3):334-337. PMID 19240853 C
17. Ostrovskaya RU, Gruden MA, Bobkova NA, et al. The nootropic and neuroprotective proline-containing dipeptide noopept restores spatial memory and increases immunoreactivity to amyloid in an Alzheimer's disease model. J Psychopharmacol. 2007;21(6):611-619. PMID 17092975 C
18. Ostrovskaya RU, Vakhitova YV, Kuzmina USh, et al. Neuroprotective effect of novel cognitive enhancer noopept on AD-related cellular model involves the attenuation of apoptosis and tau hyperphosphorylation. J Biomed Sci. 2014;21(1):74. PMID 25096780 D
19. Jia X, Gharibyan AL, Öhman A, et al. Neuroprotective and nootropic drug noopept rescues α-synuclein amyloid cytotoxicity. J Mol Biol. 2011;414(5):699-712. PMID 21986202 D
20. Pelsman A, Hoyo-Vadillo C, Gudasheva TA, et al. GVS-111 prevents oxidative damage and apoptosis in normal and Down's syndrome human cortical neurons. Int J Dev Neurosci. 2003;21(3):117-124. PMID 12711349 D
21. Dagda RK, Dagda RY, Vazquez-Mayorga E, et al. Intranasal administration of forskolin and Noopept reverses parkinsonian pathology in PINK1 knockout rats. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;24(1):690. PMID 36614135 C
22. Cohen PA, Avula B, Wang YH, et al. Five unapproved drugs found in cognitive enhancement supplements. Neurol Clin Pract. 2021;11(3):e303-e307. PMID 34484905 D
23. Vanhee C, Deconinck E, George M, et al. The occurrence of illicit smart drugs or nootropics in Europe and Australia and their associated dangers: results from a market surveillance study by 12 Official Medicines Control Laboratories. J Xenobiot. 2025;15(3):88. PMID 40558871 D
24. Retraction notice to "Noopept; a nootropic dipeptide, modulates persistent inflammation by effecting spinal microglia dependent Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) and pro-BDNF expression throughout apoptotic process". Heliyon. 2021;7(5):e06981. PMID 34041381 E, not peer-reviewed
25. Finland. Lääkeluettelo (Fimea medicines list), 230/2025, section 2 and annex 1 A ("Noopept", N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester). Finlex regulator
26. World Anti-Doping Agency. 2026 Prohibited List: Noopept is not named; S6.A names 4-phenylpiracetam (carphedon); S6.B is "including, but not limited to" and "a stimulant not expressly listed in this section is a Specified Substance". WADA regulator
27. European Medicines Agency. Medicines data, all centrally authorised human medicines (status 15 Oct 2026): no medicine containing Noopept or omberacetam. EMA regulator
28. Kravchenko EV, Ponteleeva IV, Trofimov SS, et al. [The original nootropic and neuroprotective drug noopept potentiates the anticonvulsant activity of valproate in mice]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2009;72(6):15-17. In Russian, English abstract. PMID 20095393 C

Sources read 15 Oct 2026. For Russian-language articles the English abstracts were used; sources 6, 12 and 13 have no published abstract, so only what their titles say is reported. The WADA list text is from the PDF version of the 2026 list.

Evidence levels: A = randomised human trial or meta-analysis · B = observational human study or case series · C = animal study · D = cell or laboratory study · E = not peer-reviewed · regulator = a regulator's assessment or decision, not research evidence. The marker official means official product information (summary of product characteristics or label); it is not research evidence. For a review, the level shows what kind of research the statement rests on. No level: statements that something has not been studied, reviews' interpretations, named hypotheses and the general rules in our certificate-of-analysis guide.

Content is general information about research, not medical advice. If you have symptoms, contact a healthcare professional.