ARA-290 vs Erythropoietin
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
A peptide built from erythropoietin that keeps the tissue protecting signal and drops the red blood cell effect, next to the hormone it came from. That split matters. EPO carries a boxed warning covering death, heart attack, stroke and blood clots when haemoglobin is pushed toward normal.
- ARA-290 people
- 95
- ARA-290 nulls
- 0
- Erythropoietin people
- 4,641
- Erythropoietin nulls
- 0
Dose
Doses used in trials
2 and 4 mg
The published ARA-290 trials used 4 mg daily subcutaneous. Not an approved label.
Dose
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses
Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose.
FDA approved since 1989 for anaemia (too few red blood cells), with the FDA's strongest (boxed) warnings. Checked on 11 September 2026: EPOGEN and PROCRIT (epoetin alfa, BLA 103234) approved 1 June 1989; ARANESP (darbepoetin alfa, BLA 103951) approved 17 September 2001; MIRCERA (BLA 125164) approved 14 November 2007; RETACRIT (BLA 125545) approved 15 May 2018. All listed Prescription. The boxed warning covers a higher risk of death, heart attack, stroke, blood clots in the veins, clots in the access point used for dialysis, and tumours growing or coming back.
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
ARA-290Cibinetide (ARA-290)
A peptide made from part of EPO. It turns on the body's repair signals without raising red blood cells. It is studied for nerve pain in sarcoidosis.
Column B
ErythropoietinErythropoietin (EPO), epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa
Erythropoietin, or EPO, is the kidney hormone that tells your body to make red blood cells. It has been approved since 1989 for anaemia, meaning too few red blood cells. Three big studies tried pushing blood counts up to normal. They found harm, not benefit, including twice as many strokes in 4,038 people. Every product now carries the FDA's strongest warning.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | ARA-290 | Erythropoietin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Healing & Recovery | Hormone |
| FDA status | Investigational, not FDA-approved | FDA approved since 1989 for anaemia (too few red blood cells), with the FDA's strongest (boxed) warnings. Checked on 11 September 2026: EPOGEN and PROCRIT (epoetin alfa, BLA 103234) approved 1 June 1989; ARANESP (darbepoetin alfa, BLA 103951) approved 17 September 2001; MIRCERA (BLA 125164) approved 14 November 2007; RETACRIT (BLA 125545) approved 15 May 2018. All listed Prescription. The boxed warning covers a higher risk of death, heart attack, stroke, blood clots in the veins, clots in the access point used for dialysis, and tumours growing or coming back. |
| Half-life | Short | 4 to 13 hours |
| Molecular weight | ~1,257 Da | Not reported |
| How it works | It switches on the innate repair receptor, which drives tissue protection and nerve repair. It does this without making more red blood cells. | In people, EPO docks on its receptor on young blood cells in the bone marrow. That keeps them alive and makes them multiply. Red cell numbers rise over days to weeks. The same signal also thickens the blood and makes platelets stickier. That is the accepted reason for the clots and strokes in the studies that pushed blood counts to normal. EPO receptors have also been found outside the marrow, including in the brain. That is the idea behind using it to protect the brain. That work has not led to any approved use in people. |
| Studies in people | 6 | 4 |
| Evidence | Limited: 5 completed trials, 95 people given it | Strong: 3 completed trials, 4,641 people given it |
| Legal status, US | Investigational, not approved | FDA-approved, prescription only |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ARA-290 and Erythropoietin?
ARA-290: A peptide made from part of EPO. It turns on the body's repair signals without raising red blood cells. It is studied for nerve pain in sarcoidosis. Erythropoietin: Erythropoietin, or EPO, is the kidney hormone that tells your body to make red blood cells. It has been approved since 1989 for anaemia, meaning too few red blood cells. Three big studies tried pushing blood counts up to normal. They found harm, not benefit, including twice as many strokes in 4,038 people. Every product now carries the FDA's strongest warning.
Which has stronger research evidence, ARA-290 or Erythropoietin?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. ARA-290 is Limited (5 completed trials, 95 people given it). Erythropoietin is Strong (3 completed trials, 4,641 people given it). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
Are ARA-290 and Erythropoietin FDA-approved?
ARA-290: Investigational, not FDA-approved. Erythropoietin: FDA approved since 1989 for anaemia (too few red blood cells), with the FDA's strongest (boxed) warnings. Checked on 11 September 2026: EPOGEN and PROCRIT (epoetin alfa, BLA 103234) approved 1 June 1989; ARANESP (darbepoetin alfa, BLA 103951) approved 17 September 2001; MIRCERA (BLA 125164) approved 14 November 2007; RETACRIT (BLA 125545) approved 15 May 2018. All listed Prescription. The boxed warning covers a higher risk of death, heart attack, stroke, blood clots in the veins, clots in the access point used for dialysis, and tumours growing or coming back..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.