ARA-290

What ARA-290 does

Small trials tested ARA-290, or cibinetide, an experimental peptide, for nerve damage in sarcoidosis and diabetes. Pain relief was inconsistent, and long-term safety remains uncertain. Some nerve measures and symptoms improved. It is based on the hormone erythropoietin. No approved label exists; rare harms and online product quality remain uncertain.

• In a small trial in people with sarcoidosis, several nerve and symptom measures improved, though pain itself did no better than placebo. (Studied in a trial)
• In a small trial in type 2 diabetes with nerve damage, a nerve-pain score and long-term blood sugar (HbA1c) improved modestly. (Studied in a trial)
• One user reported less nerve pain and better function after a spinal cord injury. (Reported by users)

Uses in the sources

• Studied for small-fiber neuropathy in sarcoidosis and type 2 diabetes. (Studied in a trial) (source)
• Studied for diabetic macular edema; average vision and retinal thickness did not improve. (Studied in a trial) (source)
• People report using it for nerve pain after injuries or surgery. Controlled evidence for these uses is absent. (Reported by users) (source)

ARA-290 dosage

Typical reported dose: 4 mg once a day for 4 weeks

• First pilot: three IV doses: 2 mg every two days for three doses every two days for three doses, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: 20 adults with sarcoidosis or diabetes and neuropathic symptoms. (source)
• Drug levels: 2 mg IV: 2 mg as a single dose as a single dose, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: 10 healthy volunteers in a crossover PK study. (source)
• Drug levels: 2 mg under the skin: 2 mg as a single dose as a single dose, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: 10 healthy volunteers in a crossover PK study. (source)
• Drug levels: 4 mg under the skin: 4 mg as a single dose as a single dose, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: 10 healthy volunteers in a crossover PK study. (source)
• Drug levels: 6 mg under the skin: 6 mg as a single dose as a single dose, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: 10 healthy volunteers in a crossover PK study. (source)
• Sarcoidosis: 2 mg IV three days a week: 2 mg on Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults with sarcoidosis and painful small-fiber neuropathy symptoms. (source)

Highest studied: 8 mg subcutaneous once daily for 28 days; not a safe personal maximum..

These are doses reported in labels, trials or user reports, not a personal plan. Check the source behind each one.

Work out syringe units with the dosing calculator

How to mix ARA-290

Comes as: Community powder vials labelled 10 mg or 16 mg; identity, amount and sterility unverified.

Mixed with: Community users report bacteriostatic water. Trial-buffered formulations used different instructions, recorded with the eye-study protocol..

Common vial sizes: 10, 16 mg. Common water amounts: 1, 1.5, 3 mL.

• Reported mixes include 10 mg/1 mL, 16 mg/1 mL and 16 mg/1.5 mL. These are community reports, not validated preparations.
• A 16 mg/3 mL report described persistent undissolved material. Do not use material with visible clumps or discoloration.
• No verified method was found to rescue a gelled vial. Adding acid changes the formulation and has not been validated here.
• U-100 syringe units measure volume: 100 units equals 1 mL. The milligram amount depends on the actual concentration.
• Specific trial handling appears under the 12-week eye protocol; it cannot establish storage or mixing rules for plain powder.

Before mixing: No validated storage conditions or shelf life were found for unregulated powder vials.

After mixing: No validated shelf life after community mixing was found. Refrigeration cannot establish potency or sterility.

ARA-290 side effects and risks

Reported side effects

• Headache: Dose study, 1/4/8 mg: 3/16, 3/16, 2/14; placebo 0/16. Twelve week eye pilot: 4/9., mild. New severe headache, fainting or chest symptoms need urgent assessment. (source)
• Nausea: Dose study, 1/4/8 mg: 2/16, 2/16, 1/14; placebo 0/16. Twelve week eye pilot: 2/9., mild. Review persistent symptoms and hydration with a clinician. (source)
• Diarrhea: 1/4/8 mg: 2/16, 1/16, 2/14; placebo 2/16. Rates crossed the 10% band between arms., mild. Seek care for dehydration, blood in stool or severe pain. (source)
• Injection-site pain: 1/4/8 mg: 1/16, 1/16, 1/14; placebo 4/16., mild. Spreading redness, warmth, fever or pus needs assessment. (source)
• Fatigue: 1/4/8 mg: 3/16, 2/16, 0/14; placebo 2/16., mild. Persistent or worsening fatigue warrants review. (source)
• Suicidal thoughts: 1/14 at 8 mg; 0/16 in each other arm. This small trial cannot establish the true frequency., serious. Stop exposure and get emergency help for thoughts of self-harm. (source)
• Fainting, chest tightness or breathlessness: Each listed in 1/16 at 1 mg; the group had two people with serious events overall., serious. Stop exposure and seek urgent care. (source)
• Worsening kidney function: One diabetes trial participant stopped after creatinine rose from 119 to 159 µmol/L., serious. Prompt kidney-function review is needed; a concurrent furosemide increase confounded the event. (source)
• Head cold: 4/9 in the uncontrolled 12 week eye pilot; 3/16 at 4 mg versus 2/16 placebo in the dose study., mild. Reported as an adverse event; a cold does not establish a drug effect. Review persistent or severe symptoms. (source)
• Raised glucose or triglycerides: Eye pilot: raised glucose 3/9; raised triglycerides 5/9. Fasting was not confirmed, so meals may explain the changes., mild. Review glucose readings and repeat abnormal tests under appropriate conditions. (source)

Stop and get help if

• Thoughts of suicide or self-harm: Stop exposure and get emergency mental-health help now.
• Chest pain, trouble breathing or fainting: Seek emergency care now.
• Face or throat swelling, widespread hives or trouble breathing: Stop exposure and seek emergency care for possible severe allergy.
• Fever with spreading injection-site redness, heat or pus: Get urgent medical care for possible infection.
• Markedly less urine, new swelling or rapid worsening illness: Stop exposure and obtain urgent medical assessment and kidney tests.
• Sudden or worsening vision loss: Obtain urgent eye care; the eye trial stopped dosing for >10-letter vision loss.

Who should avoid it

• pregnant: Pregnant people were excluded. Fetal safety has not been established.
• breastfeeding: Breastfeeding people were excluded; milk transfer and infant effects are unknown.
• tryingToConceive: Reproductive safety is unknown. Trials required contraception; an evidence-based preconception washout is unknown.
• under18: Trials enrolled adults; safety and dosing under 18 have not been established.
• activeCancer: Cell and animal work promotes blood-vessel growth. Cancer safety is unknown; this is a precaution, not proof of tumor growth.
• cancerHistory: Some trials excluded serious malignancy. Recurrence risk and long-term cancer safety are unknown.
• kidneyDisease: Kidney function worsened in one diabetes-trial participant while furosemide was increased. Dose adjustment is unknown.
• liverDisease: No established dose adjustment or adequate safety dataset for serious liver disease was found.
• heartCondition: Fainting, chest tightness and breathlessness were serious registry events. Causation is uncertain.
• uncontrolledBloodPressure: Abnormal blood pressure was excluded in trials. Safety with uncontrolled pressure remains unknown.
• depressionOrSuicidalThoughts: Suicidal thoughts occurred in one participant at 8 mg daily; later trials added structured mood screening.
• diabetes: A small trial changed HbA1c. Review glucose-lowering drugs and monitor readings; the interaction size is unknown.
• testedAthlete: S0 prohibits unapproved investigational drugs at all times. WADA removed ARA290 from the innate repair receptor section for 2018.
• other: Prior serious allergy to the peptide or formulation should stop further exposure.

Interactions

• Insulin and sulfonylureas: Possible added glucose lowering; a clinically important interaction was not established. Review readings and medicines.
• Furosemide: One participant’s creatinine rose while furosemide was increased. A direct drug interaction has not been proven.
• Erythropoiesis-stimulating drugs: Trials excluded these drugs; combined effects and safety are unknown.
• TNF blockers and other biologic immune drugs: Several trials excluded recent anti-TNF or immunoglobulin use. This is an evidence gap, not a proven interaction.
• Anticoagulants: No specific interaction study was located. Injection-site bleeding was reported; anticoagulation can complicate injections.
• Other self-injected peptides: Controlled combination safety is unknown. Multiple simultaneous products make benefits and adverse reactions hard to attribute.

Product quality risks

• No independent published survey testing online ARA-290 vials for identity, amount, sterility and endotoxin was located.
• TGA warns that unapproved peptide injections may contain the wrong ingredient, too much or too little drug, or contamination. This is a class warning.
• User reports of clumping or gelling do not identify the cause or prove that a vial is sterile.
• A purity percentage, clear liquid or research-use label does not establish injection quality.

What to expect

Nine separate studies reported results, including a blood-level study and three dental cases. No confirmatory phase 3 trial was found.

Key studies

• First neuropathy pilot: Whole-group pain scores fell about 40% in sarcoidosis and 30% in diabetes; there was no placebo group. (source)
• Healthy volunteers: IV versus under the skin: Exposure data supported selecting 4 mg under the skin for later trials. (source)
• Sarcoidosis: 2 mg IV: Neuropathy symptom scores improved; pain intensity improved similarly with placebo. (source)
• Sarcoidosis: 4 mg daily: Several nerve and symptom measures improved; pain intensity did not beat placebo. (source)
• Diabetic neuropathy: 4 mg daily: PainDetect and HbA1c improved modestly; other symptom tests did not consistently improve. (source)
• Healthy volunteers: emotional processing: No mood benefit was found; emotional-processing findings were mixed. (source)

ARA-290 FAQ

• Is ARA-290 FDA-approved? No approved product or label found in Drugs@FDA/openFDA searches. No cibinetide-specific PCAC decision or warning letter was located.
• How do people take it? Under the skin, once daily. 28 days. Source: studied in a trial.
• What's the difference between ARA-290 and BPC-157? ARA-290: experimental peptide studied for small-fiber nerve damage, with uncertain pain relief and safety. BPC-157: an experimental repair peptide with mostly animal evidence and a few small human reports. Why people pair them: people add it for tissue and nerve recovery.
• Can I take it with BPC-157? People add it for tissue and nerve recovery. Only three uncontrolled dental cases used a local multi-drug mixture. Routine combination safety is unproven. Source: reported by users. Ask a doctor before combining anything.
• Is it banned in sport? It is unclear (WADA 2026). The 2017 committee removed ARA290 from the innate repair receptor examples. No ARA290-specific ruling was verified for 2026; S0 applicability requires confirmation of current human therapeutic approvals worldwide.
• How long does a mixed vial last? No validated shelf life after community mixing was found. Refrigeration cannot establish potency or sterility.