What is the difference between Fasoracetam and Oxiracetam?

Fasoracetam: 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 sign... Oxiracetam: Oxiracetam is a non-peptide racetam-class cognitive enhancer, structurally the 4-hydroxy analog of piracetam. It is approved as a prescription drug for dementia in Italy (since 1984) and China, but is...

What does the research say about Fasoracetam vs Oxiracetam?

Fasoracetam: 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). CG… Oxiracetam: Multiple placebo-controlled human trials exist in dementia, organic brain syndrome, and traumatic brain injury populations, plus human pharmacokinetic studies. One double-blind controlled trial in elderly organic-brain-syndrome patients used doses titrated from 400–2400 mg/day; a separate placebo-controlled trial in senile dementia of Alzheimer typ…

Fasoracetam vs Oxiracetam

Q: Can you stack Fasoracetam and Oxiracetam?

Fasoracetam (cognitive) and Oxiracetam (cognitive) are in the same category and may have overlapping mechanisms — researchers should review both profiles carefully before combining. Consult a licensed provider before combining any compounds.

Head-to-head comparison of Fasoracetam and Oxiracetam — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.

Fasoracetam

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.

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Oxiracetam

Oxiracetam is a non-peptide racetam-class cognitive enhancer, structurally the 4-hydroxy analog of piracetam. It is approved as a prescription drug for dementia in Italy (since 1984) and China, but is NOT FDA-approved in the United States. The FDA has classified oxiracetam as a 'new drug' requiring approval and determined it does not qualify as a dietary supplement; in the US it is sold only as an unregulated gray-market research chemical.

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Fasoracetam

Oxiracetam

Category

Cognitive

Legal Status

Research Only

Mechanism

Fasoracetam is characterized in the human trial literature and rodent pharmacology as a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activator/modulator rather than a classical ionotropic glutamate agent. Rodent studies (Shirayama et al., 1999) demonstrated that it increases acetylcholine release in the cerebral cortex, enhances high-affinity choline uptake in cortex and hippocampus without changing choline acetyltransferase activity, and reverses memory disruption induced by the GABA-B agonist baclofen—suggesting a dual mechanism of facilitating cholinergic neurotransmission and suppressing GABA-B-receptor-mediated responses. No receptor-binding affinity (Ki/EC50) data for specific mGluR subtypes have been located in primary sources.

Proposed mechanism (not fully established in humans) is positive modulation of AMPA-type glutamate receptors: in rat cortical synaptic membranes and cultured neurons, oxiracetam enhanced AMPA-stimulated calcium influx and modulated AMPA binding without affecting kainate or NMDA signaling. Separate preclinical work found oxiracetam increases depolarization-evoked acetylcholine, glutamate, and aspartate release from rat hippocampal slices (not synaptosomes), with in vivo microdialysis showing ~63% increase in hippocampal acetylcholine release at 100 mg/kg in rats. No human receptor-occupancy or mechanistic imaging data were found.

Side Effects

Headache (63.3% in NCT02286817 trial)
Fatigue (36.7% in NCT02286817 trial)

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Fasoracetam

Best $/mg

$0.021/mg

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Oxiracetam

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Lab Verification

COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.

Fasoracetam

COAs

99.7%

Avg purity

Labs

Full testing data

Oxiracetam

COAs

99.4%

Avg purity

Labs

Full testing data

Fasoracetam Research Summary

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).

Key references

Oxiracetam Research Summary

Multiple placebo-controlled human trials exist in dementia, organic brain syndrome, and traumatic brain injury populations, plus human pharmacokinetic studies. One double-blind controlled trial in elderly organic-brain-syndrome patients used doses titrated from 400–2400 mg/day; a separate placebo-controlled trial in senile dementia of Alzheimer type and multi-infarct dementia used 800 mg twice daily and reported improvement on cognitive measures versus placebo. Preclinical findings include AMPA receptor modulation and enhanced neurotransmitter release in rat hippocampal preparations, and identification of the (S)-enantiomer as the active component alleviating cognitive impairment in a rat chronic cerebral hypoperfusion model. Oral bioavailability in humans is ~56% (versus 28–42% in rats, 81–90% in dogs), with predominantly renal excretion of unchanged drug.

Key references

Excitatory amino acids and neuronal plasticity: modulation of AMPA receptors as a novel substrate for the action of nootropic drugs (Nicoletti F, Casabona G, Genazzani AA, Copani A, et al.), Functional Neurology 1992 (1992)

Can you stack Fasoracetam and Oxiracetam?

Fasoracetam and Oxiracetam 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.

Other comparisons

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This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.