: "NEW DRUGS THAT MAKE YOU SMART by John Morgenthaler from MONDO 2000 - issue #2 The term nootropic comes from the Greek word meaning 'acting on the mind.' Since the invention of Piracetam by UBC laboratories in Belgium, other drug companies have been scrambling to develop their own nootropics. Some of them being researched now include; Vinpocetine, Aniracetam, Pramiracetam, and Oxiracetam. As yet, there is no nootropic drug that is FDA approved for sale in the United States, but there is plenty of motivation on the part of the drug companies to get that approval - financial analysts expect the U.S. market for cognitive enhancers - smart pills - to soon be in excess of one billion dollars per year!"