The MHRA has warned the public of the potential dangers of buying drugs online after seizing approximately £200,000 worth of "smart drugs".

The medicines watchdog recovered over 20,000 units of 13 different types of cognitive-enhancing medicines (nootropics), including centrophenoxine, oxiracetam,and citicoline, it announced on Friday (October 24). Sunifiram, one of the drugs seized, has never been tested on humans.

The drugs bust on October 6 was the UK's biggest ever single seizure of cognitive enhancement medicines, which were becoming a "very worrying trend", the MHRA said.

The raid took place after Norwegian officials seized "a number of packages" of smart drugs in customs and a UK source was found to be selling the Russian cognitive enhancement drug phenylpiracetum.

While it is not illegal to possess cognitive enhancement drugs in the UK, their illicit sale and supply is an offence.

MHRA head of enforcement Alistair Jeffrey said the recent trend for buying cognitive enhancement drugs was "deeply troubling".

"If you are acquiring medicines over the internet without a prescription, then you are purchasing from an unknown, unregulated and ultimately unlawful source that has one objective – to take your money," he stressed.

The MHRA warned that a "huge number" of medicines bought online were counterfeit, adulterated or sub-standard. Reported side effects of some cognitive enhancement drugs included dependence, psychosis and cardiovascular problems, but smart drugs bought online could also be "laced" with other dangerous substances, it added.

Professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge Barbara Sahakian expresses concerns there were no long-term studies examining the safety of smart drugs in healthy people. The drugs may interact with other medication or be unsafe in those with a pre-existing medical condition, she said.

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