Also known as: Ro 13-5057, Draganon, Sarpul, Ampamet, Memodrin, 1-(4-methoxybenzoyl)-2-pyrrolidinone, 1-p-anisoyl-2-pyrrolidinone
Aniracetam is a pyrrolidinone in the racetam family, developed by Hoffmann-La Roche under the code Ro 13-5057. The first detailed pharmacology paper, published in 1982 by the Roche group, reported that oral aniracetam prevented or reversed several forms of experimentally induced amnesia in rats and mice, with bell-shaped dose-response curves and roughly ten times the potency of piracetam (PMID: 6817363).
Overview
At A Glance
Aniracetam is a positive allosteric modulator of AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors. It binds at the two-fold axis of the GluA2 ligand-binding domain dimer interface, adjacent to the hinge of the clamshell, and stabilizes the closed glutamate-bound conformation, which slows…
Overview
Aniracetam is a pyrrolidinone in the racetam family, developed by Hoffmann-La Roche under the code Ro 13-5057. The first detailed pharmacology paper, published in 1982 by the Roche group, reported that oral aniracetam prevented or reversed several forms of experimentally induced amnesia in rats and mice, with bell-shaped dose-response curves and roughly ten times the potency of piracetam (PMID: 6817363). It went on to be sold as a prescription medicine in parts of Europe under names including Ampamet and Memodrin, indicated for cognitive and behavioral symptoms in older patients, and in Japan under the names Draganon and Sarpul. It has never been approved in the United States. Nearly all of the aniracetam bought by consumers today is bulk powder or capsules supplied as a research chemical rather than a licensed medicine. The best characterized action is positive allosteric modulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors. Aniracetam potentiated ionotropic quisqualate and AMPA responses in Xenopus oocytes injected with rat brain mRNA, and potentiated excitatory postsynaptic potentials in rat hippocampal slices (PMID: 1975272). Patch-clamp work in guinea pig hippocampal slices showed that it reduces glutamate receptor desensitization and slows the decay of fast excitatory synaptic currents (PMID: 1660156). Cocrystal structures of the GluA2 ligand-binding core later placed aniracetam at the dimer interface, where it stabilizes the closed, glutamate-bound conformation and slows deactivation (PMID: 16192394). Animal work consistently shows restoration of impaired performance rather than improvement of normal performance. Aniracetam improved delayed-response performance in an eight-arm radial maze in rats (PMID: 1611039), improved contextual fear conditioning in DBA/2J mice along with increased membrane-bound hippocampal gamma-PKC (PMID: 11918291), and reversed passive avoidance deficits in sleep-deprived Wistar rats (PMID: 24079994). In healthy animals the picture is different: daily oral aniracetam produced no measurable change across spatial, associative, motor and anxiety tasks in normal C57BL/6J mice (PMID: 25099639), and it had no effect on delayed matching-to-sample performance in neurologically healthy pigeons (PMID: 31002681). The human record is mixed and mostly from the late 1980s and early 1990s. A 109-patient, six-month, placebo-controlled multicenter study in mild to moderate probable Alzheimer type dementia reported significant differences favoring aniracetam on psychobehavioral measures (PMID: 1822317), while a 44-patient double-blind study found no difference from placebo (PMID: 3103163). A 1994 review concluded the evidence supported continued evaluation rather than established efficacy (PMID: 8199398), and a 2010 review of piracetam-like drugs reported that aniracetam and oxiracetam were no longer in clinical use (PMID: 20166767). Two practical points. First, the parent molecule barely survives first-pass metabolism, so most of what circulates is metabolite (PMID: 19025058), and formulation chemists describe aniracetam as having low aqueous solubility and poor oral bioavailability (PMID: 30453664). Second, in February 2019 the United States Food and Drug Administration told a nootropics seller that aniracetam is not a dietary supplement ingredient and that products containing it are unapproved new drugs. In the United States it is a research-use-only compound.
Potential Research Fields
Chemical Information
IUPAC Name
Not yet available
CAS Number
72432-10-1
Molecular Formula
C12H13NO3
Molecular Mass
219.24 g/mol
Dosing & Protocols
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Interactions
Contraindications
No contraindication list is reproduced here from European product information. Mechanism-based and pharmacokinetic cautions: clearance depends on hepatic metabolism and renal elimination of metabolites, and elderly patients with cerebrovascular disease and low creatinine clearance showed 4 to 7 fold longer metabolite half-lives (PMID: 9062694). Positive modulation of AMPA receptors increases excitatory transmission and slows synaptic current decay (PMID: 1660156), which is a mechanism-based reason for caution in people with seizure disorders. In alcohol-preferring rats, aniracetam increased operant alcohol self-administration and potentiated cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking (PMID: 23126443).
Research Disclaimer
This interaction data is compiled from published research and community reports. It may not be exhaustive. Always consult a healthcare professional before combining compounds.
$64.99
$0.1857
1
1
powder
| Vendor | Product | Form | Qty | Price | $/mg | Coupon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Aniracetam 350 mg | powder | 1 bottle (350 mg)● In Stock | $64.99BEST | $0.186 | — |
Tracking since Sep 7, 2026 · 1 data point
Vendors Selling Aniracetam
How we score these vendors
Every supplier above is graded 0 to 100 on COA verification, payment transparency, shipping, reviews, and active listings. Methodology published, no pay-to-rank.
Related Compounds
View All9-Me-BC (9-Methyl-β-carboline)
NootropicsPreclinical9-Methyl--carboline (9-Me-BC) is a synthetic -carboline alkaloid that has drawn nootropic-community interest for a preclinical property that is genuinely unusual among -carbolines: in rodent and cell-culture studies it appears to stimulate the dopaminergic phenotype - raising tyrosine hydroxylase, the number of differentiated dopamine neurons and dopamine content - while also showing neuroprotective, neurorestorative and anti-inflammatory effects, plus in-vitro MAO-A/MAO-B inhibition [PMID:17913302, PMID:20374418, PMID:32285253].
Bemethyl (bemitil)
NootropicsApproved (Russia)Bemethyl, known in the Russian literature as bemitil and sold in the region under names including Metaprot, Bemactor and Antihot, is 2-ethylthiobenzimidazole, normally handled as the hydrobromide salt.
Bromantane
NootropicsRussia ApprovedBromantane is an atypical psychostimulant and anxiolytic developed in the 1980s at the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, originally created as an adaptogen for Soviet military and elite athletic use and later approved in Russia for the treatment of neurasthenic and asthenic disorders under the trade name Ladasten.
Cyclazodone
NootropicsPreclinicalCyclazodone is the N-cyclopropyl derivative of pemoline, a 4-oxazolidinone stimulant.
Dihexa
NootropicsPreclinicalDihexa is a synthetic peptide analogue of the angiotensin IV metabolite LVV-hemorphin-7, developed at Washington State University.
Fasoracetam (NS-105)
NootropicsPhase 2Fasoracetam is a racetam developed by Nippon Shinyaku in Japan under the code NS-105 and taken into clinical development for vascular dementia.
View Full Dosage Guide →
Protocols, calculator & safety for Aniracetam
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4/1/2026Research Score
0 PubMed results
Quality Indicators
Data Completeness
63%Quick Facts
Half-Life
About half an hour for the parent drug in humans. Plasma elimination half-life was 0.47 to 0.49 hours after a single 400 mg oral dose in 20 healthy male volunteers (PMID: 19025058). Aniracetam is extensively metabolized to N-anisoyl-GABA and anisic acid; in six elderly hospitalized patients with cerebrovascular disease and reduced creatinine clearance, metabolite half-life was 4 to 7 times longer than in young volunteers (PMID: 9062694).
Molecular Weight
219.24 g/mol
Administration
Oral
CAS Number
72432-10-1
Trial Phase
Approved (Italy)
Research Disclaimer
This information is for educational and research purposes only. Not intended as medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Aniracetam used for in research?
Aniracetam is a pyrrolidinone in the racetam family, developed by Hoffmann-La Roche under the code Ro 13-5057. The first detailed pharmacology paper, published in 1982 by the Roche group, reported that oral aniracetam prevented or reversed several forms of experimentally induced amnesia in rats and mice, with bell-shaped dose-response curves and roughly ten times the potency of piracetam (PMID: 6817363). It went on to be sold as a prescription medicine in parts of Europe under names including Ampamet and Memodrin, indicated for cognitive and behavioral symptoms in older patients, and in Japan under the names Draganon and Sarpul. It has never been approved in the United States. Nearly all of the aniracetam bought by consumers today is bulk powder or capsules supplied as a research chemical rather than a licensed medicine.
The best characterized action is positive allosteric modulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors. Aniracetam potentiated ionotropic quisqualate and AMPA responses in Xenopus oocytes injected with rat brain mRNA, and potentiated excitatory postsynaptic potentials in rat hippocampal slices (PMID: 1975272). Patch-clamp work in guinea pig hippocampal slices showed that it reduces glutamate receptor desensitization and slows the decay of fast excitatory synaptic currents (PMID: 1660156). Cocrystal structures of the GluA2 ligand-binding core later placed aniracetam at the dimer interface, where it stabilizes the closed, glutamate-bound conformation and slows deactivation (PMID: 16192394).
Animal work consistently shows restoration of impaired performance rather than improvement of normal performance. Aniracetam improved delayed-response performance in an eight-arm radial maze in rats (PMID: 1611039), improved contextual fear conditioning in DBA/2J mice along with increased membrane-bound hippocampal gamma-PKC (PMID: 11918291), and reversed passive avoidance deficits in sleep-deprived Wistar rats (PMID: 24079994). In healthy animals the picture is different: daily oral aniracetam produced no measurable change across spatial, associative, motor and anxiety tasks in normal C57BL/6J mice (PMID: 25099639), and it had no effect on delayed matching-to-sample performance in neurologically healthy pigeons (PMID: 31002681).
The human record is mixed and mostly from the late 1980s and early 1990s. A 109-patient, six-month, placebo-controlled multicenter study in mild to moderate probable Alzheimer type dementia reported significant differences favoring aniracetam on psychobehavioral measures (PMID: 1822317), while a 44-patient double-blind study found no difference from placebo (PMID: 3103163). A 1994 review concluded the evidence supported continued evaluation rather than established efficacy (PMID: 8199398), and a 2010 review of piracetam-like drugs reported that aniracetam and oxiracetam were no longer in clinical use (PMID: 20166767).
Two practical points. First, the parent molecule barely survives first-pass metabolism, so most of what circulates is metabolite (PMID: 19025058), and formulation chemists describe aniracetam as having low aqueous solubility and poor oral bioavailability (PMID: 30453664). Second, in February 2019 the United States Food and Drug Administration told a nootropics seller that aniracetam is not a dietary supplement ingredient and that products containing it are unapproved new drugs. In the United States it is a research-use-only compound.
What forms does Aniracetam come in?
Aniracetam is available in powder form.
How much does Aniracetam cost?
Prices start at $64.99 across 1 vendor.
How do I compare Aniracetam vendors?
Compare prices, payment methods, shipping, and COA scores across 1 vendor.
Research Tools
Related Compounds
View All9-Me-BC (9-Methyl-β-carboline)
NootropicsPreclinical9-Methyl--carboline (9-Me-BC) is a synthetic -carboline alkaloid that has drawn nootropic-community interest for a preclinical property that is genuinely unusual among -carbolines: in rodent and cell-culture studies it appears to stimulate the dopaminergic phenotype - raising tyrosine hydroxylase, the number of differentiated dopamine neurons and dopamine content - while also showing neuroprotective, neurorestorative and anti-inflammatory effects, plus in-vitro MAO-A/MAO-B inhibition [PMID:17913302, PMID:20374418, PMID:32285253].
Bemethyl (bemitil)
NootropicsApproved (Russia)Bemethyl, known in the Russian literature as bemitil and sold in the region under names including Metaprot, Bemactor and Antihot, is 2-ethylthiobenzimidazole, normally handled as the hydrobromide salt.
Bromantane
NootropicsRussia ApprovedBromantane is an atypical psychostimulant and anxiolytic developed in the 1980s at the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, originally created as an adaptogen for Soviet military and elite athletic use and later approved in Russia for the treatment of neurasthenic and asthenic disorders under the trade name Ladasten.
Cyclazodone
NootropicsPreclinicalCyclazodone is the N-cyclopropyl derivative of pemoline, a 4-oxazolidinone stimulant.
Dihexa
NootropicsPreclinicalDihexa is a synthetic peptide analogue of the angiotensin IV metabolite LVV-hemorphin-7, developed at Washington State University.
Fasoracetam (NS-105)
NootropicsPhase 2Fasoracetam is a racetam developed by Nippon Shinyaku in Japan under the code NS-105 and taken into clinical development for vascular dementia.
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