Drug levels of adalimumab (Humira) can be effectively measured with a finger prick rather than a full blood analysis, new research shows.

The cross-sectional study of 161 patients with rheumatic diseases found levels of the drug measured in dry spots of blood were comparable to serum results from the same patient.

The precision and accuracy of the blood spot test was within “acceptable limits as described by the EMA and the FDA,” the study authors wrote in the  British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

“Easy home sampling at different time points will benefit patients and could help to prescribe biologics optimally,” said senior author Dr. Karien Bloem.