Piracetam is also known as 2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine acetamide

History

Piracetam was first synthesized in 1964 by scientists at the Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB led by Dr Corneliu E. Giurgea. The drug was the first of the so-called nootropics ("smart drugs" or "cognitive enhancers"), that is, substances which purportedly enhance mental performance. The term nootropic was coined by Giurgea. Piracetam was launched clinically by UCB in the early 1970s and remains an important product of that company in Europe.