Noopept (omberacetam; GVS-111)

a Russian cognitive drug with one small active-comparator clinical study, a short human PK poster, substantial animal work, and major US supplement-identity problems.

tier B · focus · 53 participants in the main indexed active-comparator study

verdict

Noopept has a real foreign-drug identity and limited human data, but the efficacy record is much smaller than its reputation and the US supplement market adds a separate product-quality failure.

if you're asking whether Noopept is a peptide — no. it is a synthetic peptide-like small molecule, omberacetam, with formula C17H22N2O4 and molecular weight 318.37 g/mol.

if you're asking whether it improves cognition — one small Russian active-comparator study in people with cognitive disorders after vascular or traumatic brain injury reported improvement over 56 days. that does not establish enhancement in healthy users or superiority to placebo.

if you're asking what its half-life is — a human conference abstract reports 22.05 plus or minus 14.37 minutes after a 10 mg oral test dose in patients. the abstract provides limited methods and sample detail, so the number is direct human data with low confidence, not a universal interval.

if you're asking whether online capsules match the label — that cannot be assumed. a peer-reviewed US supplement analysis found large content variation, inaccurate labels, and products containing combinations of unapproved drugs.

Clinical regimens describe Russian studies and a regulated-drug context. They do not validate or recommend US supplement products.

why B-tier

B-tier reflects an approved-abroad drug history, a small positive human active-comparator study, a direct though sparsely reported human PK observation, and a broad preclinical record. It stays below A because there is no robust placebo-controlled replication, the population was disease-specific, adverse effects included blood-pressure withdrawals, and long-term healthy-user evidence is absent.

the core tension

Noopept's regulated foreign-drug identity and small clinical record justify more than an anecdotal grade. The leap from a disease-specific Russian study to healthy enhancement, chronic safety, and trustworthy US supplements remains unsupported.

what it is

Noopept is omberacetam, also called GVS-111, the ethyl ester of N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine. It is a 318.37 Da synthetic small molecule, C17H22N2O4, CAS 157115-85-0. It is marketed as a medicinal product in Russia and is not FDA-approved in the United States.

what it does

Noopept is rapidly absorbed and metabolized. Preclinical studies implicate cycloprolylglycine, neurotrophin expression including BDNF and NGF, HIF-1 signaling, oxidative-stress pathways, and glutamatergic modulation. No single established human receptor mechanism explains its clinical claims, and the metabolite's biology must not be confused with the parent's measured half-life.

origin

Noopept was developed in Russia as GVS-111 and entered clinical use for cognitive disorders associated with vascular and traumatic brain injury. The human record accessible in international indexes consists mainly of one small active-comparator study and a brief pharmacokinetic conference abstract.

why researchers are interested

The compound has a regulated foreign-drug history, a short direct human PK observation, and a broad animal neurobiology literature. Its small nominal mass dose and nootropic positioning made it popular in supplements. That popularity is not evidence of healthy-user benefit, and supplement analyses show that the label may not identify the exposure.

does it work

There is a limited positive clinical signal in disease-specific cognitive impairment and a substantial preclinical record. B-tier reflects that meaningful but constrained evidence. Healthy enhancement, long-term safety, independent Western replication, and retail-product identity remain unresolved.

claims vs the data

• Noopept improves cognition — limited human support — one small active-comparator study supports a disease-specific cognitive claim, not broad healthy enhancement.
• Noopept has no meaningful adverse effects — contradicted — the clinical study reported sleep disturbance, irritability, and blood-pressure increases, with two withdrawals for blood pressure.
• cycloprolylglycine's persistence is Noopept's parent half-life — contradicted — parent and metabolite are different analytes. the reported parent human elimination half-time is about 22 minutes.
• US Noopept supplements reliably match their labels — contradicted — peer-reviewed testing found large content variation, inaccurate labels, and undeclared drug combinations.

key facts

• molecular formula: C17H22N2O4
• molecular weight: 318.37 g/mol
• amino acids: n/a (peptide-like small molecule, not an amino-acid-chain peptide)
• half-life: 22.05 plus or minus 14.37 minutes in a sparsely reported human conference abstract
• type: synthetic peptide-like nootropic small molecule; omberacetam
• CAS: 157115-85-0
• 53 enrolled in the main indexed active-comparator study
• 41 participants who completed that 56-day study
• 22.05 min reported mean human elimination half-time
• 5.1-40.6 mg measured range per labeled serving in sampled US supplements

frequently asked questions

What is Noopept?

Noopept is omberacetam, a synthetic peptide-like small-molecule cognitive drug developed in Russia. It is not an amino-acid-chain peptide.

Does Noopept improve memory?

One small active-comparator study reported benefit in patients with vascular or post-traumatic cognitive impairment. Healthy-user memory enhancement and placebo-controlled efficacy are not established.

What is Noopept's human half-life?

A conference abstract reports 22.05 plus or minus 14.37 minutes after a 10 mg oral test dose in patients. Sparse methods and sample reporting make confidence low.

Is Noopept FDA-approved?

No. It has a medicinal-drug history in Russia but is not FDA-approved. FDA import enforcement also treats omberacetam products marketed as supplements as misbranded drug products.

Can a Noopept supplement label be trusted?

Not automatically. A peer-reviewed US analysis found omberacetam products with 5.1 to 40.6 mg per labeled serving, inaccurate labels, and undeclared combinations of drugs.

related peptides

• bromantane — another Russian CNS drug with an asthenia-focused clinical record
• semax — a Russian peptide drug studied in neurologic populations
• dihexa — a cognitive research chemical with no human trial

reptides grades the research record and cites the literature behind every call. research reference only; not medical advice.