Treatment with the investigational agent denosumab (Prolia) protected against bone erosions and also increased bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a substudy of a phase II randomized trial found.
Among patients who received low-dose or high-dose denosumab, mean changes in hand BMD were +1% and +2.5% at 12 months, respectively, while the mean change in those who received placebo was −2%, according to Atul Deodhar, MD, of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and colleagues.
Mean modified Sharp erosion scores in the hands remained near baseline in the low- and high-dose groups, at +0.15% and +0.02, respectively at 12 months, compared with a change of +1.4% in those receiving placebo, the investigators reported in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by focal and systemic bone resorption, with increased osteoclast activity leading to abnormalities of bone remodeling.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/20054That is certainly something that sounds interesting to me. We can use all of the help we can get.