The Occurrence of Illicit Smart Drugs or Nootropics in Europe and Australia and Their Associated Dangers: Results from a Market Surveillance Study by 12 Official Medicines Control Laboratories.
The study found 34 different nootropic molecules in 159 samples collected from the illegal market, highlighting significant risks to consumer health. Increased monitoring is necessary to protect consumers from potentially harmful substances.
Where it sits
this study against the rest of the dihexa corpusSummary and findings
This study conducted a market surveillance to identify illicit nootropics and smart drugs in Europe and Australia from January 2020 to September 2024. A total of 159 samples were documented, revealing 34 distinct molecules, with 69% collected from the illegal market. The findings underscore the need for increased monitoring of these products due to potential health risks.
Abstract
In recent years, an increasing number of case reports have mentioned the presence of illicit nootropics, smart drugs or mind doping products on the market. To better understand the extent of the problem, a market surveillance study was organised by the General European Official Medicines Control Laboratory Network and associated member Australia to detect substandard, falsified or illegal medicines or dietary supplements containing unauthorised nootropic molecules of natural or synthetic origin. From January 2020 to September 2024, 159 different samples were documented, which yielded a comprehensive dataset of 166 molecular identification entries. Within this dataset, 34 distinct molecules were identified. Most samples were sold or presented as dietary supplements (49%) or medicines (32%). The vast majority (69%) were collected from the illegal market. Prescription drugs and non-authorised drugs only available on prescription in Russia were found in pharmacological quantities; some of the latter (noopept, phenylpiracetam and phenibut) were intercepted as large bulk quantities of raw material. Unauthorised novel foods, prescription or higher amounts of melatonin, and clinically uncharacterised research molecules were also reported. This study highlights the need for more active monitoring and screening of such products, as consumption of some of the reported samples could have detrimental health effects. Furthermore, as a large number of the samples were presented as dietary supplements, consumers may not be aware of the possible dangers and side-effects of these products.