Soluble biomarkers of cartilage and bone metabolism in early proof of concept trials in psoriatic arthritis: effects of adalimumab versus placebo.

Background: There is growing interest in soluble biomarkers that could be used on the group level for screening purposes in small proof of principle studies during early drug development. We investigated early changes in serum levels of several candidate biomarkers involved in cartilage and bone metabolism following the initiation of adalimumab as a prototypic active treatment in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared to placebo.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four PsA patients were randomized to receive either adalimumab 40 mg s.