Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of Fasoracetam and Lemairamin — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
Fasoracetam (NS-105, NFC-1) is a non-peptide racetam-class small molecule characterized as a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activator that also modulates acetylcholine release and GABA-B signaling. A single Phase 1 trial in 30 adolescents with ADHD and mGluR-network gene variants showed clinical improvement on CGI scales, but broader development was discontinued and fasoracetam has never been approved in any jurisdiction. It is sold only as an unregulated research chemical/nootropic.
Lemairamin is a non-peptide small-molecule cinnamamide alkaloid (N-phenethyl cinnamide) natural product, not approved for human use in any jurisdiction. All available data are preclinical (rodent, zebrafish, C. elegans, in vitro, and computational). It is sold exclusively as an unregulated 'research chemical' explicitly labeled 'not for human consumption'; quality, purity, and identity are not independently verified by any regulatory body. No human clinical trials, pharmacokinetic studies, or safety data exist.
Fasoracetam
Lemairamin
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
Fasoracetam
Lemairamin
No pricing data yet.
Check Lemairamin prices →COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
Fasoracetam
1
COAs
99.7%
Avg purity
1
Labs
Lemairamin
2
COAs
99.8%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Human data exist but the compound is not approved anywhere. The best-sourced human study is a completed Phase 1 open-label single-dose PK/single-blind placebo-controlled dose-escalation trial of NFC-1 (fasoracetam) in 30 adolescents (age 12–17) with ADHD carrying mGluR-network gene variants (NCT02286817; Elia et al. 2018, Nature Communications). CGI-I improved from 3.79 to 2.33 and CGI-S from 4.83 to 3.86 from baseline to week 5 (both P<0.001) in this small, largely uncontrolled sample. In rats (Wistar), fasoracetam reversed memory disruption across scopolamine-, NBM-lesion-, AF64A-, cerebral-ischemia-, baclofen-, and ECS-induced amnesia models, increased cortical acetylcholine release, and enhanced high-affinity choline uptake in cortex and hippocampus (Shirayama et al., 1999).
No human data exist. No completed or registered human clinical trials were located on ClinicalTrials.gov, and no PubMed-indexed human pharmacokinetic, safety, or efficacy studies exist. All available data are preclinical: In transgenic Alzheimer's mice, gx-50 disassembled Aβ oligomers, decreased cortical Aβ accumulation, inhibited Aβ-induced neuronal apoptosis and calcium toxicity, improved Morris water maze performance, and was reported to cross the blood-brain barrier (Tang et al. 2013). In mouse and rat pain models (formalin tonic, neuropathic, bone-cancer pain), subcutaneous and intrathecal lemairamin dose-dependently reduced pain hypersensitivity/mechanical allodynia without evident tolerance, linked to spinal α7 nAChR activation and downstream IL-10/β-endorphin release (Wang et al. 2020). Murine microglial cell cultures showed gx-50 activation of α7 nAChR engaged JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/AKT signaling to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion (Shi et al. 2016). Zebrafish DSS-induced colitis models showed lemairamin attenuated intestinal inflammation via Akt signaling (2024). C. elegans studies reported WGX-50 promoted markers of healthy ageing (daf-16/skn-1 longevity genes, 2025).
Fasoracetam and Lemairamin are both in the Cognitive category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references