Piracetam

Summary

Piracetam (CHEMBL36715) is an approved small molecule (ATC N06BX03) targeting GRIA1, GRIA2, and GRIA3; indicated across 8 conditions including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and movement disorder.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• ATC class: N06BX03
• Targets: 4 (GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3…)
• Indications: 8 conditions
• Clinical trials: 12
• Chemistry: 142.16 Da · C6H10N2O2

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL36715
Name	Piracetam
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	4
FDA approved	no
PubChem CID	4843
ATC	N06BX03
Molecular formula	C6H10N2O2
Molecular weight	142.16
InChIKey	GMZVRMREEHBGGF-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES: C1CC(=O)N(C1)CC(=O)N

IUPAC name: 2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)acetamide

Also known as: CL-871, Gabacet, Myocalm, Nootrop, Nootrop 1200, Nootrop 400, Nootrop 800, Nootropil, NSC-758191, Piracetam, piracetam, SID11111637

Patent coverage: 3,502 distinct patent families (8,528 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 1 matched compound structure(s). Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Primary targets (GtoPdb curated mechanism): the Cancer dependency column is the DepMap CRISPR fitness signal (% of screened cell lines dependent on the target).

Gene	Target	Action	pAffinity	Cancer dependency	UniProt
GRIA1	GluA1	Positive		0.1%	P42261
GRIA2	GluA2	Positive		0%	P42262
GRIA3	GluA3	Positive		0%	P42263
GRIA4	GluA4	Positive		0.2%	P48058

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 3 (assay-derived). Sample: Thyrotropin receptor, Beta-lactamase, Heat shock factor protein 1.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 1 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 3 total. Top 30 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
P00811	5.8	Potency	1585	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4726292

Target pathways

Aggregated over 4 target gene(s): GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4.

Top Reactome pathways

9 total, by targets touching each:

Pathway	Targets	Genes
Activation of AMPA receptors	4	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
Trafficking of GluR2-containing AMPA receptors	4	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
Unblocking of NMDA receptors, glutamate binding and activation	4	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
Trafficking of AMPA receptors	3	GRIA1, GRIA3, GRIA4
Synaptic adhesion-like molecules	3	GRIA1, GRIA3, GRIA4
Long-term potentiation	2	GRIA1, GRIA2
COPII-mediated vesicle transport	1	GRIA1
Cargo concentration in the ER	1	GRIA1
MECP2 regulates neuronal receptors and channels	1	GRIA2

Dominant GO biological processes

GO term	Targets
synaptic transmission, glutamatergic	4
modulation of chemical synaptic transmission	4
monoatomic ion transport	4
monoatomic ion transmembrane transport	4
ionotropic glutamate receptor signaling pathway	4
regulation of postsynaptic membrane potential	4
regulation of presynaptic membrane potential	3
signal transduction	2
chemical synaptic transmission	2
long-term synaptic potentiation	2
calcium-mediated signaling	2
glutamate receptor signaling pathway	2
regulation of receptor recycling	1
synapse assembly	1
long-term memory	1

Indications & clinical

Indications

8 indications (1 at ChEMBL trial phase 4). Phase below is the highest clinical-trial phase recorded for this drug against each disease — not the molecule’s overall approval status (that is in the Summary).

Indication	Trial phase	MONDO	EFO
attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder	4	MONDO:0007743	EFO:0003888
movement disorder	3	MONDO:0005395	EFO:0004280
anxiety	3	MONDO:0011918	EFO:0005230
postpoliomyelitis syndrome	3	MONDO:0017416	EFO:0007454
dementia	3	MONDO:0001627	HP:0000726
depressive disorder	3	MONDO:0002050	MONDO:0002050
cocaine dependence	1	MONDO:0005186	EFO:0002610

1 further indication record had no mapped disease name (EFO/MeSH-only) or were duplicates, and are omitted.

Clinical trials

Total trials: 12.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
Not specified	4
PHASE4	3
PHASE3	3
PHASE1	2

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT06479629	PHASE4	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	The Effect of Piracetam on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients
NCT01883011	PHASE4	TERMINATED	A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Piracetam on Aphasia After Acute Ischemic Cerebral Artery Stroke
NCT05918341	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Subtherapeutic Dose of Piracetam as a Therapy Adherence Marker
NCT00190008	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Piracetam for Treatment Tardive Dyskinesia
NCT01549847	PHASE3	WITHDRAWN	A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial L-carnitine and Piracetam in the Treatment of Weakness, Muscle Fatigue and Muscle Pain in the Postpoliomyelitis Syndrome
NCT02374567	PHASE3	TERMINATED	Pharmacovigilance in Gerontopsychiatric Patients
NCT00000198	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Piracetam for Treatment of Cocaine Addiction - 3
NCT00000199	PHASE1	WITHDRAWN	Piracetam for Treatment of Cocaine Addiction, Phase II - 4
NCT07166835	Not specified	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Exploring the Cognitive Benefits of a Blackcurrant-Based Supplement in Normobaric Hypoxia
NCT00567060	Not specified	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Piracetam Taken for 12 Months in Subjects Suffering From Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
NCT01009476	Not specified	COMPLETED	Long-term Use of Galantamine Versus Nootropics (Memory Enhancing Drugs) in Patients With Alzheimer’s Dementia Under Conditions of Daily Routine
NCT06689644	Not specified	COMPLETED	Effect of a Plant Based Nootropic on Perceptual Decision Making.

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No PharmGKB pharmacogenomic data curated for this drug.

Related molecules

Related molecules

Molecules sharing ≥1 of this drug’s curated primary targets, merged from two biobtree sources and ranked by shared-target count, then clinical phase: ChEMBL clinical-stage candidates (development phase ≥2) and PubChem drug-class bioactivity (approved / known drugs acting on the target). Deduplicated by drug name; the drug’s own salt forms are excluded. Note: for a drug with few primary targets a shared-target match can reflect off-target / promiscuous binding rather than the same therapeutic mechanism — the phase ordering surfaces bona-fide therapeutics first.

8 molecules share ≥1 primary target. Top 8 by shared-target count:

Molecule	Source	Status	Shared targets
CYCLOTHIAZIDE	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
GLUTAMIC ACID	ChEMBL + PubChem	Phase 3 (approved)	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
KAINIC ACID	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
SELFOTEL	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
TEZAMPANEL	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRIA1, GRIA2, GRIA3, GRIA4
PERAMPANEL	ChEMBL + PubChem	Phase 4 (approved)	GRIA1, GRIA3
FARAMPATOR	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRIA3, GRIA4
MIBAMPATOR	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRIA4