Objective To systematically review the efficacy and safety of denosumab in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods The PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP databases were searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of denosumab in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results A total of 7 RCTs including 2 346 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that administering 60 mg densuzumab every 6 months (Q6M) was superior to placebo in increasing the bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine, the hip, the femoral neck, and improving the modified total Sharp score. Administering 60 mg denosumab every 3 months (Q3M) and 60 mg Q6M were both superior to the placebo group at improving erosion score; in addition, the 60 mg Q3M group was superior to the 60 mg Q6M group. There was no significant difference between denosumab and the placebo in improving joint space narrowing score, the American College of Rheumatology 20%, 50%, or 70% responses, health assessment questionnaire disability index, or disease activity score. In terms of safety, there was no significant difference between denosumab and the placebo group. Conclusion Densuzumab can delay the progression of rheumatoid arthritis bone erosion, and its safety is acceptable. Due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.
