Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis that occurs in about 30% of people with psoriasis, causing joint pain, swelling, and stiffness alongside skin disease. It can damage joints progressively and also affects tendons, nails, and the spine.
What's actually going on in research
IL-17 inhibitors (secukinumab, ixekizumab) and IL-23 inhibitors (guselkumab, risankizumab) have become important treatment options across both skin and joint manifestations. JAK inhibitors including upadacitinib and tofacitinib are also effective and are being compared with biologics. Combination trials are testing whether targeting multiple pathways simultaneously achieves better joint and skin outcomes than monotherapy.
IL-23 inhibitors
Guselkumab and risankizumab target the IL-23 pathway driving both psoriatic skin and joint disease. Trials are testing them as first biologics, in combination, and for axial involvement.
JAK inhibitors
Upadacitinib and tofacitinib produce rapid joint and skin improvement. Trials are comparing them head-to-head with biologics and exploring reduced maintenance doses after remission.
Combination biologic therapy
Combining biologics targeting different pathways — such as an IL-17 inhibitor with a PDE4 inhibitor — is being tested to see if dual mechanism therapy provides additive benefits for difficult-to-treat disease.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically requires confirmed psoriatic arthritis diagnosis with active joint disease, specified prior conventional DMARD failure, and sometimes specific disease domain (peripheral joints, axial, enthesitis).
What types of trials are currently open
- Biologic trials — Testing new IL-17, IL-23, and TNF inhibitors for joint and skin disease in psoriatic arthritis.
- JAK inhibitor trials — Evaluating JAK inhibitors versus biologics for joints, skin, and special domains like enthesitis and dactylitis.
- Axial PsA trials — Testing treatments specifically for spine and sacroiliac joint involvement in psoriatic arthritis.
- Remission maintenance trials — Testing dose reduction and treatment withdrawal strategies after achieving disease control.
- Observational studies — Tracking structural damage, cardiovascular risk, and quality of life across treatment types.
Recently added Psoriatic Arthritis trials
Receive ear nerve stimulation to reduce arthritis pain and inflammation
This prospective single-center interventional study aims to investigate the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on disease activity, pain, quality of life, autonomic dysfunction symptoms, and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Participants diagnosed with PsA according to the Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) will undergo non-invasive auricular vagus nerve stimulation using the Vagustim device. Clinical outcomes including the Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score based on C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), pain scores, sleep quality, quality of life, anxiety/depression, and inflammatory markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) will be evaluated before and after treatment.
Receive carotid ultrasound screening to help prevent heart disease
PREVENER is a randomized, open-label, multicenter, phase IV clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a carotid ultrasound-based strategy for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD). Patients with IRD, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), have a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) events compared to the general population. However, conventional CV risk scores (SCORE2/OP) systematically underestimate this risk, leaving many high-risk patients without appropriate preventive treatment. Patients aged ≥50 years with IRD and low-to-moderate CV risk according to SCORE2/OP will be randomized 1:1 to either an experimental group (carotid ultrasound to detect subclinical atherosclerosis) or a control group (standard care according to ESC 2021 guidelines). Patients in the experimental group with carotid plaques will be reclassified as very high CV risk and treated with high-intensity statins (LDL target \<55 mg/dL). The primary endpoint is the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) over 48 months of follow-up.
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