Picamilon

Picamilon
Clinical data
Trade namesНПК ЭХО
Other namesnicotinoyl-GABA
Routes of
administration		Oral
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability50%–88%[2]
Elimination half-life1.5 hours[2]
ExcretionRenal
Identifiers
  • 4-(Pyridine-3-carbonylamino)butanoic acid
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.118.799 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC10H12N2O3
Molar mass208.217 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • O=C(NCCCC(=O)O)c1cccnc1
  • InChI=1S/C10H12N2O3/c13-9(14)4-2-6-12-10(15)8-3-1-5-11-7-8/h1,3,5,7H,2,4,6H2,(H,12,15)(H,13,14) checkY
  • Key:NAJVRARAUNYNDX-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
 ☒NcheckY (what is this?)  (verify)

Picamilon (also known as N-nicotinoyl-GABA, pycamilon, and pikamilon) is a drug formed by a synthetic combination of niacin and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It was developed in the Soviet Union in 1969[3] and further studied in both Russia[4] and Japan as a prodrug of GABA.[5]

In Russia, picamilon is sold as a prescription drug. The rights to the drug belong to the Russian pharmaceutical company NPK ECHO ("НПК ЭХО"). It is not approved for sale in the United States and has been deemed an adulterating agent in dietary supplements,[6] with five American companies required to remove their picamilon products from the market in November 2015.[7] However, as recently as 2020, picamilon has been found in pharmaceutical dosages in over-the-counter supplements in the US.[8]

  1. ^ "Picamilon in Dietary Supplements". FDA. November 29, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cui was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kopelevich VM, Gunar VI (April 1999). "Some approaches to the directed search for new drugs based on nicotinic acid". Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal. 33 (4): 177–187. doi:10.1007/BF02509934. S2CID 36930437.
  4. ^ Mirzoian RS, Gan'shina TS (1989). "[The new cerebrovascular preparation pikamilon]". Farmakologiia i Toksikologiia (in Russian). 52 (1): 23–6. PMID 2707413.
  5. ^ Matsuyama K, Yamashita C, Noda A, Goto S, Noda H, Ichimaru Y, et al. (October 1984). "Evaluation of isonicotinoyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and nicotinoyl-GABA as pro-drugs of GABA". Chemical & Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 32 (10): 4089–95. doi:10.1248/cpb.32.4089. PMID 6529802.
  6. ^ Avula B, Chittiboyina AG, Sagi S, Wang YH, Wang M, Khan IA, et al. (March 2016). "Identification and quantification of vinpocetine and picamilon in dietary supplements sold in the United States". Drug Testing and Analysis. 8 (3–4): 334–43. doi:10.1002/dta.1853. PMID 26426301.
  7. ^ "FDA sends five warning letters over supplements containing picamilon". NutraIngredients-USA.com, William Reed Business Media. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  8. ^ Cohen PA, Avula B, Wang YH, Zakharevich I, Khan I (June 2021). "Five Unapproved Drugs Found in Cognitive Enhancement Supplements". Neurology. Clinical Practice. 11 (3): e303–e307. doi:10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000960. PMC 8382366. PMID 34484905.