Library / Cognitive

Noopept

Also known as Omberacetam, GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester

Human trials

Not strictly a peptide: a small dipeptide derived molecule related to the racetams. Registered in Russia; human evidence is limited to small studies.

Not an approved medicine. Noopept is not an approved medicine for this use in Australia or the United States. This page summarises published research for information only. It is not a recommendation to use Noopept, and VialOwl does not sell or supply it.

Background

Noopept (omberacetam, GVS-111) was developed in Russia in the 1990s by designing a small dipeptide based molecule that mimics the structure of piracetam. It is registered as a medicine in Russia but not approved in Australia, the US or Europe.

How it is thought to work

Its exact mechanism is not well established. Russian lab studies propose antioxidant and anti inflammatory effects, protection against glutamate and calcium toxicity, and activation of the transcription factor HIF-1.

What is claimed, and the evidence

Claim	Evidence	Notes
Improved memory and cognition in mild cognitive impairment from vascular or traumatic brain disease	Small human studies	A 2008 Russian comparative study with piracetam; small, not placebo controlled and published in Russian only.
Neuroprotection after stroke or brain injury	Animal studies only	Shown in animal and cell models by the developing group.
Anxiety reduction	Animal studies only	Anxiolytic effects reported in animal studies.
Focus, motivation and study performance in healthy people	No published evidence	Nootropic forum and supplement marketing claims; no trials in healthy people found.

Side effects

Effect	How often	Notes
Headache, irritability, sleep disturbance	Frequency unknown	Commonly mentioned in user reports; no systematic human safety data in English literature.
Exposure to mislabelled or undeclared drugs in supplements Serious	Common	A 2021 analysis of cognitive supplements found omberacetam at up to four times a typical dose, undeclared drugs, and 75 per cent of declared amounts inaccurate.

Warnings

Schedule 4 (prescription only) in Australia as omberacetam and not on the ARTG.
Supplements sold as cognitive enhancers have been found to contain unlisted drugs and wrong amounts of omberacetam.
Human evidence is limited to small studies from the developing country.

Regulatory status

Australia: Not included on the ARTG. Schedule 4 in the Poisons Standard (as omberacetam).
United States: Not FDA approved. FDA has identified it as an unapproved drug in some dietary supplements.

Sources

Also in Cognitive

From the VialOwl library, reviewed 26 September 2026. For education and general information. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation to use Noopept.