Use this ARA-290 calculator to turn your vial strength and bacteriostatic water volume into an exact draw in mL and syringe units. ARA-290, also called cibinetide, is an 11-amino-acid peptide built from part of erythropoietin (EPO) that does not raise red blood cells. It reached phase 2 trials for nerve pain but is not an approved medicine anywhere; this page covers the maths only.
- Common vial examples
- 10 / 16 mg
- Trial dose studied
- 4 mg a day
- Common syringe
- U-100 insulin
- Last reviewed
Storage before and after reconstitution: Lyophilised 2–8°C. No published stability data after mixing: keep the reconstituted vial refrigerated, protected from light, and follow the supplier’s beyond-use date.
Quick answers: ARA-290 doses in units
With a 10 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (5 mg/mL), on a U-100 insulin syringe:
- How many units is 1 mg of ARA-290?
- 20 units (0.2 mL)
- How many units is 2 mg of ARA-290?
- 40 units (0.4 mL)
- How many units is 4 mg of ARA-290?
- 80 units (0.8 mL)
- How many units is 8 mg of ARA-290?
- 160 units (1.6 mL), more than one 1 mL syringe
Educational maths only, not a dose recommendation. Use the calculator above for your own vial, water volume and syringe.
Quick math example
A 10 mg vial mixed with 2 mL gives 5 mg/mL. A 4 mg dose is 0.8 mL, which equals 80 units on a U-100 syringe.
ARA-290 reconstitution reference
U-100 units to draw for each common ARA-290 dose, by vial size, reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Change the water volume in the calculator above to recompute for your own setup.
| Vial | Concentration | 1 mg | 2 mg | 4 mg | 8 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 5 mg/mL | 20 u(0.2 mL) | 40 u(0.4 mL) | 80 u(0.8 mL) | 160 u(1.6 mL) |
| 16 mg | 8 mg/mL | 12.5 u(0.13 mL) | 25 u(0.25 mL) | 50 u(0.5 mL) | 100 u(1 mL) |
Swipe the table to see every dose →
Educational reference only — not a dose recommendation. Units assume a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL on U-100). Always confirm against your own vial, diluent, and clinician or pharmacy instructions.
ARA-290 dosage chart: units for the doses studied in trials
The published human trials of ARA-290 gave 4 mg under the skin once a day for 28 days, in people with sarcoidosis-related small-fibre neuropathy and in type 2 diabetes with painful neuropathy. A larger phase 2b trial compared 1, 4 and 8 mg a day, and only the 4 mg group improved on its main nerve measure. An earlier pilot gave 2 mg into a vein three times a week. These are the doses that were studied, not a recommendation: ARA-290 is not approved and sold vials are research products whose content is not verified.
Because the doses are in milligrams, the water volume decides whether a dose fits in one syringe. In the diabetes trial each 4 mg injection was 0.5 mL, which is 8 mg/mL; a 16 mg vial mixed with 2 mL gives the same concentration.
- 10 mg + 2 mL (5 mg/mL): 4 mg = 80 units
- 10 mg + 1 mL (10 mg/mL): 4 mg = 40 units
- 16 mg + 2 mL (8 mg/mL): 4 mg = 50 units (0.5 mL, as in the trial)
ARA-290 dosage chart in U-100 units
| Dose | 10 mg + 2 mL5 mg/mL | 10 mg + 1 mL10 mg/mL | 16 mg + 2 mL8 mg/mL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mg | 20 u(0.2 mL)10 per vial | 10 u(0.1 mL)10 per vial | 12.5 u(0.13 mL)16 per vial |
| 2 mg | 40 u(0.4 mL)5 per vial | 20 u(0.2 mL)5 per vial | 25 u(0.25 mL)8 per vial |
| 4 mg | 80 u(0.8 mL)2 per vial | 40 u(0.4 mL)2 per vial | 50 u(0.5 mL)4 per vial |
| 8 mg | 160 u(1.6 mL)1 per vial · over 1 mL | 80 u(0.8 mL)1 per vial | 100 u(1 mL)2 per vial |
Swipe the table to see every vial →
Educational reference only — not a dose recommendation. Units assume a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL on U-100); “per vial” is how many of that dose the vial holds, before the small dead-space loss on each draw. Confirm against your own vial label, diluent, and clinician or pharmacy instructions.
How the ARA-290 calculation works
ARA-290 vials are labelled in milligrams and the trial doses are in milligrams too. The calculator converts the vial total to mcg, divides by the water volume to find the concentration, then divides your dose by that concentration to get the mL and the syringe units.
- 10 mg vial = 10,000 mcg total
- 10,000 mcg / 2 mL = 5,000 mcg per mL
- 4,000 mcg target = 0.8 mL draw = 80 units
How much BAC water for a 10 mg ARA-290 vial
2 mL is a common choice for a 10 mg vial and gives 5 mg/mL, where 1 mg is 20 units and 4 mg is 80 units. 1 mL doubles the concentration to 10 mg/mL and halves every draw, so 4 mg is 40 units; at 4 mg a day a 10 mg vial holds two full doses either way.
- 10 mg / 2 mL = 5 mg/mL → 4 mg = 0.8 mL = 80 units
- 10 mg / 1 mL = 10 mg/mL → 4 mg = 0.4 mL = 40 units
- Two 4 mg doses per 10 mg vial
ARA-290 10 mg vial: units per dose (2 mL BAC water)
U-100 units to draw for each common ARA-290 dose, by vial size, reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Change the water volume in the calculator above to recompute for your own setup.
| Vial | Concentration | 1 mg | 2 mg | 4 mg | 8 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 5 mg/mL | 20 u(0.2 mL) | 40 u(0.4 mL) | 80 u(0.8 mL) | 160 u(1.6 mL) |
Swipe the table to see every dose →
Educational reference only — not a dose recommendation. Units assume a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL on U-100). Always confirm against your own vial, diluent, and clinician or pharmacy instructions.
How much BAC water for a 16 mg ARA-290 vial
A 16 mg vial with 2 mL gives 8 mg/mL, the same strength as the 0.5 mL injections in the diabetes trial: 4 mg is 50 units. With 4 mL it is 4 mg/mL, where 4 mg is a full 100 units on a 1 mL syringe. A 16 mg vial holds four 4 mg doses.
- 16 mg / 2 mL = 8 mg/mL → 4 mg = 0.5 mL = 50 units
- 16 mg / 4 mL = 4 mg/mL → 4 mg = 1 mL = 100 units
- Four 4 mg doses per 16 mg vial
ARA-290 16 mg vial: units per dose (2 mL BAC water)
U-100 units to draw for each common ARA-290 dose, by vial size, reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Change the water volume in the calculator above to recompute for your own setup.
| Vial | Concentration | 1 mg | 2 mg | 4 mg | 8 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 mg | 8 mg/mL | 12.5 u(0.13 mL) | 25 u(0.25 mL) | 50 u(0.5 mL) | 100 u(1 mL) |
Swipe the table to see every dose →
Educational reference only — not a dose recommendation. Units assume a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL on U-100). Always confirm against your own vial, diluent, and clinician or pharmacy instructions.
How to reconstitute ARA-290
ARA-290 is a water-soluble peptide, and suppliers usually list bacteriostatic water as the diluent; the trial papers do not say what the active vials were mixed with. Wipe both stoppers with alcohol, draw the water, and let it run slowly down the inside wall of the vial instead of onto the powder. Swirl or roll gently until the solution is clear — do not shake it — then label the vial with the date and the water you added.
There is no published stability data for ARA-290 after mixing. Keep the vial refrigerated and protected from light, and follow your supplier's beyond-use date.
What ARA-290 is
ARA-290 (cibinetide) copies an 11-amino-acid stretch of erythropoietin that activates the so-called innate repair receptor without stimulating red-blood-cell production. It was developed for small-fibre nerve damage and tested in phase 2 trials in sarcoidosis and type 2 diabetes; no phase 3 trial has been published and it is not approved as a medicine in any country.
See also: BPC-157 dosage calculator · KPV dosage calculator
Frequently asked questions
Is ARA-290 the same as cibinetide?
What dose of ARA-290 was used in clinical trials?
How many units is 4 mg of ARA-290?
How much BAC water should I add to a 10 mg ARA-290 vial?
Is ARA-290 approved?
Primary sources
Background references for this calculator. PepSync does not make clinical claims; these citations support the educational context only.
- 1ARA 290 improves symptoms in patients with sarcoidosis-associated small nerve fiber lossPMC / Molecular Medicine · 2013
- 2
- 3Cibinetide improves corneal nerve fiber abundance in patients with sarcoidosis-associated small nerve fiber lossPubMed / Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · 2017