ARA-290, also called cibinetide, is an 11-amino-acid peptide derived from the structure of erythropoietin and designed to protect tissue without stimulating red blood cell production.
Erythropoietin (EPO) is the hormone that drives red blood cell production, and it also protects tissue through a separate receptor. A 2008 PNAS paper from Warren Pharmaceuticals, with Brines and Cerami among the authors, showed that a short peptide copying one face of EPO’s helix B protected tissue in animal models without being erythropoietic (Brines et al., 2008). ARA-290 acts on that tissue-protective target, the innate repair receptor, a complex of the EPO receptor and the beta common receptor subunit (Dahan et al., 2013).
Human evidence comes from small trials in sarcoidosis-associated small nerve fiber loss, a painful nerve complication. A 22-patient pilot led by Leiden University Medical Center researchers found better neuropathy screening scores after four weeks of intravenous treatment than with placebo (Molecular Medicine, 2012). A 28-day phase 2b trial in 64 patients, sponsored by Araim Pharmaceuticals, found a significant increase in corneal nerve fiber area in one of three dose groups (IOVS, 2017; NCT02039687).
No. Cibinetide has no FDA approval, FDA classes its compounding nomination as lacking adequate support, and WADA bans innate repair receptor agonists at all times.
FDA’s 503A bulk-substance list, updated May 14, 2026, places cibinetide (ARA-290) in Category 3, “Bulk Drug Substances Nominated Without Adequate Support” (FDA 503A categories). The World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2026 Prohibited List names innate repair receptor agonists in section S2.1.5, prohibited in and out of competition (WADA). The list does not name ARA-290, but its examples are not exhaustive, and the trial literature describes cibinetide as an innate repair receptor agonist.
With no FDA-approved product, every ARA-290 vial sold for research is made outside drug-approval oversight, and nothing on the label proves what is inside. A third-party result that confirms identity and measures purity is the only independent check on a specific batch.
Before trusting any ARA-290 label, check that batch’s published result in our latest tests or in Janoshik's public results database. No results are published for ARA-290 yet in our index. When the first published result arrives, a vendor leaderboard appears above.