Five Unapproved Drugs Found in Cognitive Enhancement Supplements
Pieter A Cohen1, Bharathi Avula1, Yan Hong Wang1
1Department of Medicine (PAC), Cambridge Health Alliance, Somerville, MA, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; National Center for Natural Products Research (BA, YHW, IK), School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS; and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics (IZ), University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora.
Many memory supplements contain unapproved drugs like omberacetam and aniracetam. These products may expose consumers to unknown health risks due to unpredictable dosages and undeclared ingredients.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Analytical Chemistry
- Public Health
Background:
- Dietary supplements marketed for cognitive enhancement are widely available.
- Concerns exist regarding the safety and composition of these products.
- Regulatory oversight of supplements may not prevent the inclusion of unapproved substances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect unapproved pharmaceutical drugs in over-the-counter (OTC) dietary supplements.
- To assess the dosages of these detected drugs in relation to typical pharmaceutical doses.
- To identify discrepancies between labeled and actual drug content in supplements.
Main Methods:
- Searched supplement databases for products containing specific unapproved drugs (e.g., omberacetam, aniracetam).
- Purchased identified supplements online.
- Analyzed supplement samples using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS).
Main Results:
- Detected omberacetam and aniracetam in 10 tested products.
- Identified three additional unapproved drugs: phenibut, vinpocetine, and picamilon.
- Found that consumers could be exposed to pharmaceutical-level or higher dosages, with inaccurate declared quantities in 75% of cases.
Conclusions:
- OTC cognitive enhancement supplements frequently contain multiple unapproved drugs.
- The health implications of consuming these unapproved drugs in untested combinations and unpredictable dosages are unknown.
- Lack of clinician oversight in supplement use poses potential health risks.
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