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GB-115 for Health & Longevity

Evidence Review created on 10/11/2026 using AI4L / Opus 5.5

Also known as: Ranquilon, Rankvilon, Ранквилон, ГБ-115, N-(6-phenylhexanoyl)glycyl-L-tryptophan amide

Motivation

GB-115 is a small synthetic molecule built from two amino acids and designed in Moscow as a new kind of anti-anxiety medication. It is modeled on a fragment of a natural gut-and-brain messenger that can provoke sudden fear, and it is intended to block that fear signal. It draws interest from people looking for calmer stress responses without the drowsiness and dependence linked to older calming drugs.

Russian researchers spent about two decades developing the compound before it reached Russian pharmacies as a prescription oral medication under the brand name Ranquilon. Outside Russia it circulates mainly through online peptide sellers, often in forms that have never been tested in people. Interest also rests on an older scientific idea, explored with other drug candidates in the 1990s, that quieting this fear-related messenger could ease anxiety.

This review examines what controlled human trials, animal research and the official product label show about GB-115’s effects on anxiety, fatigue and mental performance, its side effects and open questions, and how it might fit into a health-focused routine for adults managing stress.

Benefits - Risks - Protocol - Conclusion

The items below give a high-level overview of how GB-115 was designed, the brain signaling system it targets, and its pivotal clinical trial.

Only three sources qualified: GB-115 has received almost no coverage outside Russian-language pharmacology journals, so the list is not padded with marginal material. No relevant content was found from Rhonda Patrick, Peter Attia, Andrew Huberman, Chris Kresser, Life Extension Magazine or Lifespan.io; their sites do not mention GB-115, and Huberman Lab covers cholecystokinin only as an appetite hormone.

Grokipedia

  • GB-115

    AI-written encyclopedia entry covering GB-115’s chemistry, development by the Zakusov Institute and Valenta Pharm, proposed receptor target and clinical program; a convenient overview that leans heavily on sponsor-linked sources.

Examine

No Examine article on GB-115 exists. GB-115 is a prescription medication (registered in Russia as Ranquilon; Ranquilon drug-reference entry), and Examine.com does not typically cover prescription medications.

ConsumerLab

No ConsumerLab article on GB-115 exists. GB-115 is a prescription medication (registered in Russia as Ranquilon; Ranquilon drug-reference entry), and ConsumerLab does not typically cover prescription medications.

Systematic Reviews

No systematic reviews or meta-analyses for GB-115 were found on PubMed as of October 10, 2026.

Neither the claimed anxiety benefit nor the principal risks (adverse events, unknown long-term safety) are represented by any systematic review or meta-analysis.

Mechanism of Action

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a peptide messenger that triggers gallbladder contraction and fullness after meals and is the brain’s most abundant signaling peptide. Its fragment CCK-4 provokes panic attacks when injected into people (Rehfeld, 2021). GB-115 is a “retro” mimic of CCK-4: the amino-acid order was reversed and shortened to two units while keeping the spacing of two ring-shaped groups, which flipped the effect from fear-provoking to calming in rodents; its mirror-image D-tryptophan form is fear-provoking, according to the developers (Gudasheva et al., 2007).

  • Receptor target (competing accounts): Early papers describe a blocker of CCK2 receptors (the brain-dominant subtype) (Kolik et al., 2007); the current label and later work describe a weak blocker of CCK1 receptors (the gut-dominant subtype, also present in brain) (Ranquilon label monograph; Panchenko et al., 2025). In mice, CCK-4 cancels GB-115’s calming effect and GB-115 prevents CCK-4-induced anxiety, implying a shared target (Kolik et al., 2012).
  • Selectivity: Receptor-binding strengths are unpublished; pain relief in mice partly involves opioid pathways (Kolik et al., 2012).
  • Absorption, clearance and distribution: In volunteers, blood levels peak about 1–1.5 hours after an oral dose, half-life (time for blood levels to halve) is about 1.3–1.8 hours, and distribution volume is about 2.5 L/kg, meaning wide spread into tissues; animal data show it crosses into the brain (Ranquilon label monograph). Oral bioavailability (share reaching the bloodstream) in rats is 4.65% (Boyko et al., 2007).
  • Metabolism: Human liver microsomes (enzyme-rich liver fractions) break it down slowly; responsible enzymes are unidentified.

Historical Context & Evolution

GB-115 was not repurposed: it was designed from the start as an anxiety medication.

  • The cholecystokinin hypothesis: From the late 1980s, injected CCK-4 was found to trigger panic attacks resembling those of panic disorder (recurrent sudden attacks of intense fear) (Rehfeld, 2021).
  • First-generation blockers: Merck’s L-365,260 showed no clinically significant difference from placebo in 88 panic disorder patients (Kramer et al., 1995); Parke-Davis’s CI-988 lowered the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS, a clinician-rated 0–56 anxiety score) by 8.64 points versus 7.73 on placebo, not a significant difference, in generalized anxiety disorder (persistent, hard-to-control worry) (Adams et al., 1995). Investigators cited poor drug absorption as a possible reason (Pande et al., 1999), and Western development largely stopped.
  • A Russian redesign: At Moscow’s Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology, Tatiana Gudasheva and Sergei Seredenin built GB-115 as a shortened, reversed CCK-4 mimic; animal reports from 2003 (Kolik et al., 2003) and a 2007 design paper (Gudasheva et al., 2007) described calming without sedation.
  • Clinical development: A developer-institute open pilot in generalized anxiety disorder (Neznamov et al., 2019) preceded manufacturer-funded trials in neurasthenia and adjustment disorder and Russian registration as Ranquilon in December 2023 (Ranquilon patient leaflet).
  • Current standing: The newer data concern a different molecule and patient group, so the earlier negative trials neither confirm nor rule out GB-115’s effects. Health-focused interest beyond Russia, mainly in online peptide communities, rests on the label’s description of anxiety relief without muscle relaxation, dependence or withdrawal (Ranquilon label monograph).

Expected Benefits

High 🟩 🟩 🟩

No benefit reaches High: every controlled human trial was commissioned by one sponsor (Valenta Pharm, building on the developer institute’s program), so no clinical outcome has been replicated by an independent research group.

Medium 🟩 🟩

Reduced Anxiety Symptoms ⚠️ Conflicted

In anxiety linked to neurasthenia or adjustment disorder, 6 mg daily produced more HARS responders than placebo in the manufacturer-funded registration trial (Karavaeva et al., 2024). In a randomized dose-finding trial, 6 mg beat placebo but 3 and 9 mg did not (Goncharov et al., 2023); an open trial favored 6 mg over afobazole (a Russian non-sedating anti-anxiety drug) (Karavayeva et al., 2026). All trials share one sponsor and excluded generalized anxiety and panic disorder. Net: 6 mg consistently helped, but the null 9 mg arm is unexplained.

Magnitude: 70.0% vs 24.5% responders (at least 50% HARS reduction) at day 29 on 6 mg vs placebo, a 45.5-percentage-point difference (n=220; no 95% confidence interval, the range of plausible true values, reported).

Reduced Fatigue

Registration-trial participants also had marked fatigue on the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20, a 20-item self-rated fatigue score). The 6 mg dose improved MFI-20 versus placebo in the dose-finding trial (Goncharov et al., 2023) and in registration-trial secondary analyses (Karavaeva et al., 2024), and an uncontrolled pilot reported a parallel drop with a mild activating effect (Neznamov et al., 2019). All data come from the sponsor-led program.

Magnitude: Median MFI-20 fell from 70 to 28 over 21 days in 25 pilot patients (no control group) (Dorofeeva et al., 2022); the placebo-controlled trials report a significant between-group difference (p=0.012, the probability of such a result by chance alone, in the dose-finding trial) without a published effect size.

Low 🟩

Faster Reaction Time and Better Attention ⚠️ Conflicted

In an open pilot in generalized anxiety disorder, reaction time and attention-test speed improved from day 7 (Neznamov et al., 2019). Without a placebo group, practice effects may explain this, and the label lists impaired attention among trial adverse reactions (Ranquilon label monograph). Net: any cognitive gain is unconfirmed.

Magnitude: Mean reaction time fell from 449 to 407 milliseconds by day 21 (no control group) (Dorofeeva et al., 2022).

Better Sleep ⚠️ Conflicted

The open pilot reported improved night-time sleep alongside anxiety relief (Neznamov et al., 2019). The label, however, lists insomnia and difficulty falling asleep among trial adverse reactions (Ranquilon label monograph). Net: any sleep gain appears secondary to calmer mood and is not established.

Magnitude: Not quantified in available studies. The pilot reported sleep only as a symptom-scale direction, and no controlled trial has published a sleep outcome.

Speculative 🟨

Lower Alcohol Intake in Stress-Prone Animals

In rats bred for high emotional reactivity, 14 days of GB-115 reduced voluntary alcohol drinking and relapse-like intake (Kolik et al., 2016). The basis is animal data only.

Relief of Sedative-Withdrawal Anxiety

In rats withdrawn from diazepam or phenazepam, both benzodiazepines (sedative tranquilizers), GB-115 reduced anxiety-like behavior 24–48 hours later (Kolik et al., 2011). The basis is animal data only.

Antidepressant-Like Effect

In the mouse forced-swim test (a screen for antidepressant action), GB-115 shortened immobility, less strongly than the older antidepressant amitriptyline (Kolik, 2011). The basis is animal data only.

Anti-Inflammatory and Immune Effects

In mice, GB-115 reduced induced inflammation, eased an autoimmune brain-inflammation model (Shipaeva et al., 2011) and restored suppressed immune responses (Shipaeva et al., 2008). The basis is animal data only.

Pain Relief

GB-115 reduced pain responses in mice, partly via opioid pathways (Kolik et al., 2012), and strengthened morphine pain relief (Kolik et al., 2007). The basis is animal data only.

Lower Stress-Hormone Ratio

In four isolated rhesus monkeys, GB-115 reduced stress behavior and the ratio of cortisol to dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S, an adrenal hormone), similar to phenazepam (Panchenko et al., 2025). The basis is animal data only.

Benefit-Modifying Factors

  • Genetic background: No human data link gene variants to response. In mice and rats, calming effects appeared mainly in strains with a passive, freezing-type stress response, not in active-coping strains (Kolik et al., 2003), suggesting inherited stress style may shape response.
  • Baseline anxiety and fatigue: Trials enrolled moderate anxiety (HARS 18–24) with marked fatigue (MFI-20 above 50) (NCT05586789); effects in milder everyday stress or severe anxiety are untested.
  • Sex: About two-thirds of trial participants were women (Goncharov et al., 2023); no sex-specific efficacy analysis has been published.
  • Pre-existing conditions: Registration trials excluded generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression and substance dependence (NCT05586789); in those conditions only an open pilot exists, and earlier cholecystokinin blockers did not beat placebo (Kramer et al., 1995).
  • Age: Trials enrolled ages 18–70 with mean ages near 35–41; the label states use in older adults has not been studied (Ranquilon label monograph), so benefit at the older end of the range is unknown.

Potential Risks & Side Effects

High 🟥 🟥 🟥

No risk reaches High: adverse-event data come only from one sponsor’s trials, and these showed no statistically significant excess of adverse events over placebo.

Medium 🟥 🟥

No risk reaches Medium: controlled human data show only mild, non-significant differences from placebo, and other signals come from single uncontrolled cases, label listings without frequencies, or animal studies.

Low 🟥

Headache, Dizziness, Drowsiness and Digestive Upset ⚠️ Conflicted

The label lists headache, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, tremor, altered taste, nausea, diarrhea, joint pain, mood swings, daydreaming and impaired attention (Ranquilon label monograph). Placebo-controlled rates were non-significantly higher (Karavaeva et al., 2024) or lower (Goncharov et al., 2023); open-trial events were mild (Karavayeva et al., 2026). Net: excess unproven.

Magnitude: Any adverse event in 25.5% on 6 mg vs 14.6% on placebo (p=0.063) in the registration trial, and 26.2% on 6 mg vs 35.7% on placebo in the dose-finding trial; all mild in the registration trial, mostly mild in the dose-finding trial.

Insomnia and Over-Activation ⚠️ Conflicted

Investigators describe an activating effect (Neznamov et al., 2019), and the label lists insomnia, difficulty falling asleep and irritability (Ranquilon label monograph). The open pilot instead reported better sleep and no stimulation-related side effects (Neznamov et al., 2019). Net: sleep disruption is possible but unquantified.

Magnitude: Not quantified in available studies. The label gives these reactions with frequency “unknown”, and no trial report gives a sleep-specific adverse-event rate.

Blood Pressure Rise ⚠️ Conflicted

In the 31-patient open pilot, one patient’s blood pressure rose to 150/100 mmHg, judged possibly drug-related (Neznamov et al., 2019). In the dose-finding trial, blood-pressure deviations were as frequent on placebo (Goncharov et al., 2023). Net: no controlled signal.

Magnitude: 1 of 31 pilot patients (no control group); in the dose-finding trial, one blood-pressure rise on 6 mg (n=42) vs one rise and one fall on placebo (n=42).

Proteinuria ⚠️ Conflicted

Proteinuria (protein leaking into urine, a kidney-stress sign) is listed on the label; the one published case, outcome unknown, occurred on 3 mg in the dose-finding trial (Goncharov et al., 2023). Later trials found no clinically significant laboratory abnormalities (Karavayeva et al., 2026). Net: an isolated, unconfirmed signal.

Magnitude: 1 of 43 patients (2.3%) on 3 mg; the placebo-group rate is not reported.

Reversible Loss of Visual Sharpness ⚠️ Conflicted

The label names reversible decline in visual acuity (sharpness of vision) as its most serious reaction and directs stopping at any vision change (Ranquilon patient leaflet). A randomized trial reported only mild, non-serious events and no vision count (Karavayeva et al., 2026). Net: an unexplained label signal, unconfirmed in trials.

Magnitude: Not quantified in available studies. The label lists the frequency as unknown, and no trial report gives a case count or comparison rate.

Speculative 🟨

Impaired Gallbladder Emptying

CCK1 receptors drive meal-triggered gallbladder emptying; the CCK1 blocker loxiglumide abolished it in volunteers (Corazziari et al., 1990). Whether low-dose GB-115 does so is untested; the basis is mechanistic only.

Blood-Clotting Changes

Six months of dosing caused reversible, dose-unrelated changes in clotting tests in rats and rabbits (Sorokina et al., 2019). No human clotting data exist; the basis is animal data only.

Unregulated Research-Chemical Products

Online “research peptide” versions, including nasal sprays, lack pharmaceutical oversight, and nasal or injected routes have never been tested in people. The basis is absence of data, not reported harm.

Risk-Modifying Factors

  • Genetic polymorphisms: No studies link gene variants to side effects, and the enzymes that clear GB-115 are unidentified, so variants in drug-processing genes such as CYP3A4 (a major liver drug-metabolizing enzyme) cannot be linked to side-effect risk.
  • Baseline blood pressure and urine protein: Given isolated blood-pressure and proteinuria reports, people with existing hypertension or urine protein have less margin; trials excluded estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, kidney filtering capacity) of 59 or lower (NCT05586789).
  • Sex and pregnancy: No sex differences in adverse events are reported. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are contraindicated for lack of human data, although animal studies found no harm to offspring (Sorokina et al., 2010).
  • Pre-existing conditions: Liver and kidney impairment were not studied (Ranquilon label monograph); insomnia-prone people may notice activation; tablets contain lactose.
  • Age: Use in older adults has not been studied (Ranquilon label monograph); slower drug clearance with age is plausible but unmeasured.

Key Interactions & Contraindications

The label states that no drug-interaction studies have been conducted (Ranquilon label monograph); entries other than food are inferred.

  • Benzodiazepines, antidepressants and sleep medications (diazepam, phenazepam, sertraline, escitalopram, zolpidem): Avoid combining without prescriber oversight (theoretical). Never studied together and prohibited in trials (NCT05586789); additive drowsiness or unpredictable mood effects are possible.
  • Drugs altering liver metabolism (barbiturates (older sedatives), omeprazole, cimetidine): Monitor (theoretical). Excluded from the dose-finding trial for possible drug-handling effects (Goncharov et al., 2023); altered GB-115 levels are possible but unmeasured, so drowsiness or relief changes after starting or stopping them are watched for.
  • Opioid pain medications (morphine, oxycodone, tramadol): Caution (theoretical). GB-115 strengthened morphine pain relief in mice (Kolik et al., 2007); added drowsiness or stronger opioid effects are possible, so sedation is monitored.
  • Other cholecystokinin-blocking drugs (proglumide, dexloxiglumide): Avoid (theoretical). Overlapping receptor blockade could add gallbladder and digestive effects.
  • Sedating over-the-counter antihistamines and sleep aids (diphenhydramine, doxylamine): Monitor (theoretical). Additive drowsiness and dizziness; refraining from driving until the combined response is known limits accident risk.
  • Over-the-counter stimulants and decongestants (caffeine tablets, pseudoephedrine): Monitor (theoretical). GB-115’s activating effect could add to insomnia or blood-pressure rise; earlier-day dosing and blood-pressure checks limit this.
  • Calming supplements (kava, valerian, L-theanine, melatonin, magnesium): Monitor (theoretical). Additive calming or drowsiness; introducing one agent at a time limits this.
  • Stimulating supplements (high-dose caffeine pre-workouts, rhodiola, yohimbine): Monitor (theoretical). Additive activation or insomnia; yohimbine-induced anxiety was not blocked by GB-115 in mice (Kolik et al., 2012). Morning-only use of the stimulant limits this.
  • Alcohol: Caution (theoretical). No human data; in stress-prone rats GB-115 reduced alcohol drinking rather than enhancing it (Kolik et al., 2016). Alcohol itself adds drowsiness and rebound anxiety; limiting or avoiding alcohol during the course reduces this.
  • Food: Monitor. A food-effect study found about 1.26-fold higher total exposure with meals and unchanged peak level (Dorofeeva et al., 2023); the label directs dosing with or after meals.

Populations who should avoid GB-115:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women (Ranquilon label monograph)
  • Children and adolescents under 18 (Ranquilon label monograph)
  • People with hypersensitivity to the active substance or excipients (inactive ingredients) (Ranquilon label monograph)
  • People with hereditary sugar-intolerance conditions (galactose intolerance, lactase deficiency, glucose-galactose malabsorption), because tablets contain lactose (Ranquilon label monograph)
  • People outside the studied safety range, excluded from the registration trial: eGFR 59 mL/min/1.73 m² or lower, liver enzymes (ALT, AST) or bilirubin above 3× the upper limit of normal, New York Heart Association class III–IV heart failure (symptoms with ordinary or minimal activity), epilepsy or psychosis (NCT05586789)

Risk Mitigation Strategies

Doses and timings below follow common practice unless cited.

  • Regulated tablets at the labeled dose: Using 1 mg pharmaceutical tablets at 2 mg three times daily (Ranquilon label monograph) avoids unknown exposures from unverified sprays or powders; 9 mg/day added no benefit (Goncharov et al., 2023).
  • Blood-pressure checks: Measuring at baseline, after 1–2 weeks and at day 28 detects the rare blood-pressure rise reported in the pilot (Neznamov et al., 2019).
  • Urine protein check: A dipstick or urine albumin test at baseline and at day 28 detects proteinuria.
  • Vision vigilance: The label directs stopping and contacting a doctor at any vision disturbance (Ranquilon patient leaflet), limiting the reversible visual-acuity decline.
  • No driving early in treatment: The label advises refraining from driving and operating machinery during treatment (Ranquilon patient leaflet), reducing accident risk from dizziness or drowsiness.
  • Early-evening last dose: Spacing doses 4–6 hours apart with meals (Ranquilon label monograph) and taking the last by about 18:00 limits insomnia from the activating effect.
  • One calming agent at a time: Avoiding new sedating supplements or medications during the first 2 weeks limits additive drowsiness.
  • 28-day course with reassessment: The label specifies a 28-day course and medical review if there is no improvement (Ranquilon patient leaflet), limiting exposure beyond the studied duration.
  • Pregnancy test before starting: A negative test in women who could conceive avoids the unknown fetal risk behind the label’s pregnancy contraindication.

Therapeutic Protocol

Timing, titration and cycling parameters without a citation reflect common practice.

  • Standard regimen: 2 mg (two 1 mg tablets) three times daily, 6 mg/day, with or after meals, 4–6 hours apart, for 28 days (Ranquilon label monograph); this matches the registration-trial regimen (Karavaeva et al., 2024).
  • Dose evidence: In dose-finding, 3 and 9 mg/day did not beat placebo while 6 mg did (Goncharov et al., 2023); the open pilot found 3 mg/day insufficient and 6 mg/day effective (Neznamov et al., 2019).
  • Competing approaches: Russian prescribing uses tablets only; online “research peptide” sellers promote nasal sprays at self-chosen doses, a route and dosing without human data. No longevity-focused practitioner has published a protocol.
  • Origin of the approach: Developed by the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology (Gudasheva, Seredenin) (Gudasheva et al., 2018) and brought to market by Valenta Pharm (Ranquilon patient leaflet).
  • Time of day: Morning, midday and early-evening doses with meals fit the label’s 4–6-hour spacing; given the activating effect, the last dose is usually taken by early evening.
  • Half-life: About 1.3–1.8 hours in volunteers (Ranquilon label monograph), explaining three daily doses.
  • Single versus split dosing: Split dosing three times daily is the only studied schedule; once-daily 6 mg has not been tested.
  • Genetic polymorphisms: No gene test, such as COMT (a gene for a dopamine-clearing enzyme), guides dosing; animal data suggest stronger effects in passive stress-responders (Kolik et al., 2003).
  • Sex differences: No sex-specific dosing exists; the volunteer study enrolled both sexes (Dorofeeva et al., 2023), and no sex-specific efficacy analysis is published.
  • Age: Labeled for adults 18 and older and not studied in older adults (Ranquilon label monograph); no age-based dose adjustment exists.
  • Baseline biomarkers: No blood marker predicts response; trials selected people by HARS 18–24, MFI-20 above 50 and severity scores (NCT05586789).
  • Pre-existing conditions: Response in liver or kidney impairment, depression or generalized anxiety disorder is untested in controlled trials (NCT05586789).

Discontinuation & Cycling

  • Short-term use: The labeled course is 28 days (Ranquilon label monograph); GB-115 is not intended as lifelong treatment, and repeat-course safety is unstudied.
  • Withdrawal effects: The label reports no withdrawal syndrome; after 30 days of dosing, rats showed no withdrawal anxiety or seizure susceptibility, unlike diazepam (Kolik et al., 2011). Human follow-up after stopping lasted only 1–2 weeks.
  • Tapering: No taper protocol exists; trials stopped treatment abruptly after 28 days (Goncharov et al., 2023), and the label states that no withdrawal syndrome develops (Ranquilon label monograph).
  • Cycling: Not studied in people; calming effects persisted over 30 days of dosing in rats without tolerance (Kolik et al., 2011), so no evidence supports cycling to maintain efficacy.

Sourcing and Quality

  • Pharmaceutical source: Ranquilon 1 mg tablets, marketing-authorization holder Valenta Pharm, manufactured by Dalkhimfarm in Khabarovsk, are prescription-only in Russia (Ranquilon patient leaflet; Ranquilon drug-reference entry).
  • Formulation: Tablets contain lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose and magnesium stearate; store at or below 25 °C with a 2-year shelf life (Ranquilon label monograph).
  • Grey-market products: Online vendors sell GB-115 powders and nasal sprays labeled for research; their identity, purity and dose are unverified.
  • What to look for: A batch-specific certificate of analysis with independent purity testing (high-performance liquid chromatography) and identity confirmation (mass spectrometry), including the L-tryptophan form, because the D-form is fear-provoking in rodents (Gudasheva et al., 2007).
  • Third-party testing: No independent testing program, such as ConsumerLab or USP (United States Pharmacopeia, a standards body), covers GB-115.

Practical Considerations

  • Time to effect: The open pilot noted changes from day 3, clear by day 7 (Neznamov et al., 2019); the dose-finding trial showed separation from placebo by week 2 (Goncharov et al., 2023).
  • Common pitfalls: Using unverified sprays or powders, expecting sedation, stacking several calming agents, exceeding 6 mg/day, and continuing past 28 days without reassessment.
  • Regulatory status: Registered in Russia as Ranquilon (LP-№(004206)-(RG-RU), December 2023) (Ranquilon patient leaflet), prescription-only (Ranquilon drug-reference entry); its trial records list it as not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (NCT05586789).
  • Cost and access: About 600–1,465 rubles per 60 tablets, a 10-day supply, in Russian pharmacies (Ranquilon label monograph); outside Russia access is mostly through unregulated vendors.
  • Payer and funding incentives: No payer outside Russia covers GB-115. Payers favoring cheaper generic SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, first-line antidepressants) have little incentive to fund independent GB-115 trials, while its own evidence is manufacturer-funded: a structural bias on both sides.

Interaction with Foundational Habits

  • Sleep: Mixed, indirect. The open pilot reported better sleep as anxiety eased (Neznamov et al., 2019), while the label lists insomnia (Ranquilon label monograph). The activating component is the likely mechanism; an early-evening last dose and a sleep log help separate the two effects.
  • Nutrition: Direct. Meals raise total exposure about 1.26-fold (Dorofeeva et al., 2023), so dosing with meals keeps levels consistent. Tablets contain lactose. Fat- and protein-rich meals release cholecystokinin; whether GB-115 alters fullness or gallbladder emptying is unknown.
  • Exercise: None documented. GB-115 lacks muscle-relaxant effects (Ranquilon label monograph), so no performance impairment is expected; dizziness warrants caution with balance-demanding training. Regular exercise independently lowers anxiety, an indirect, additive effect.
  • Stress management: Potentiating, indirect. GB-115 targets stress-triggered anxiety, and animal data show stronger effects in passive stress-responders (Kolik et al., 2003). Trials barred concurrent psychotherapy (NCT05586789), so combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (structured skills-based talk therapy) is untested.

Monitoring Protocol & Defining Success

Before starting, baseline testing establishes personal reference points: a clinician-rated or validated self-rated anxiety score, a fatigue score, a seated blood-pressure reading, a urine protein test, a simple visual-acuity check and, for women who could conceive, a pregnancy test. These matter because GB-115’s benefits are judged against one’s own starting point and because its few safety signals involve blood pressure, urine protein and vision.

Ongoing monitoring follows the labeled course: anxiety and fatigue scores and blood pressure at day 14 and day 28, urine protein at day 28, and vision checks at any change in sight. One to two weeks after stopping, a repeat anxiety score shows whether gains persist or symptoms rebound. Success is a clear drop in anxiety and fatigue from baseline without new sleep, blood-pressure or vision problems; no improvement by day 28 marks the course as ineffective.

Biomarker Optimal Functional Range Why Measure It? Context/Notes
Anxiety score (HARS, or a validated self-rated questionnaire) No established target; track change from own baseline Expected to change (efficacy) Trials defined response as a 50% or greater HARS drop from baseline (Karavaeva et al., 2024); rated at the same time of day each visit
Fatigue score (MFI-20) No established target; track change from own baseline Expected to change (efficacy) Trials enrolled scores above 50 (NCT05586789); best paired with the anxiety score
Blood pressure No established target; track change from own baseline Safety check A rise to 150/100 mmHg occurred in one pilot patient (Neznamov et al., 2019); seated after 5 minutes’ rest, same arm, morning
Urine protein (dipstick) Negative (standard reference range) Safety check One proteinuria case in the dose-finding trial (Goncharov et al., 2023); first-morning sample, not after intense exercise
Visual acuity (eye chart) 20/20 (6/6) or better (standard reference range) Safety check Label’s most serious listed reaction (Ranquilon patient leaflet); same chart, distance and lighting each time
Pregnancy test (urine human chorionic gonadotropin) Negative (standard reference range) Safety check Pregnancy is a label contraindication (Ranquilon label monograph); first-morning urine is most sensitive

Qualitative markers:

  • Daily worry and tension level
  • Irritability and emotional reactivity under stress
  • Time to fall asleep and night waking
  • Daytime energy and fatigue
  • Focus and mental clarity at work
  • Digestive comfort after meals
  • Clarity of vision

Emerging Research

  • Post-approval (phase IV) comparison with afobazole (NCT06843044): Open, randomized, 250 planned, 6 mg vs afobazole for 28 days; listed as recruiting until December 2027, yet 200-patient results published in 2026 favored GB-115 (Karavayeva et al., 2026). Full positive results would add a second active comparison; a null final result would weaken comparative claims.
  • Completed registration trial (NCT05586789): Placebo-controlled, 220 participants, completed January 2023; no results are posted on the registry, but results were published (Karavaeva et al., 2024) and are cited under anxiety and adverse events.
  • Independent replication: No trial outside Russia or without Valenta Pharm funding is registered; replication by an unaffiliated group could move the anxiety benefit toward High, while failure would sharply weaken it.
  • Receptor target: Accounts conflict between CCK2 (Kolik et al., 2007) and CCK1 (Panchenko et al., 2025) blockade; receptor-binding studies, building on studies of the molecule’s three-dimensional shape (Gudasheva et al., 2013), could clarify gut side-effect expectations.
  • Panic and generalized anxiety: Earlier cholecystokinin blockers failed against placebo in panic disorder (Pande et al., 1999) and blunted CCK-4-induced panic modestly (Bradwejn et al., 1995) or not at all (van Megen et al., 1997); a CCK-4 challenge study of GB-115 could test whether it engages this target in humans.
  • Long-term and older-adult safety: No human data exist beyond 28 days or in older adults (Ranquilon label monograph); such data would determine whether repeated courses fit a long-horizon health plan.
  • Alcohol and sedative withdrawal: Rat findings on reduced drinking (Kolik et al., 2016) and benzodiazepine-withdrawal anxiety (Kolik et al., 2011) have not been tested in people.

Conclusion

GB-115 is a Russian-designed oral medication, sold there as a prescription product, that mimics a fragment of a fear-related gut-and-brain messenger in order to block its signal. Its main promise is relief of stress-linked anxiety and fatigue without the sleepiness, muscle weakness and dependence associated with older calming drugs.

The strongest evidence comes from placebo-controlled trials in adults whose anxiety arose from exhaustion or difficulty adjusting to life stressors. These trials point to meaningful short-term anxiety relief at the labeled dose, with fatigue improving alongside. Gains in attention and sleep rest on uncontrolled observations, and effects on drinking, inflammation and pain exist only in animals.

Reported side effects are mostly mild, such as headache, dizziness, drowsiness and stomach upset, and were not clearly more common than with placebo. A few isolated signals, including raised blood pressure, protein in the urine and temporary blurred vision, remain unexplained, and nothing is known about use beyond four weeks, in older adults or during pregnancy.

The evidence base is narrow. Every controlled trial was paid for by the manufacturer, and the compound was created and patented by the institute behind the early work, so both have a financial stake in favorable findings. No independent group outside Russia has tested it, most reports are in Russian, and earlier drugs aimed at the same messenger did not ease panic or worry. For health-focused adults, the evidence speaks to short-term relief of stress-linked anxiety rather than to any broader health or longevity effect.

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