This study investigated the results of 3 years of denosumab treatment for osteoporosis in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary osteoporosis (PO).
This study enrolled 112 women with RA (RA group) and 104 women with a PO group who received 60 mg denosumab for 3 years. Bone mineral densitiy (BMD) of the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck as well as levels of bone turnover markers [N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (P1NP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b)] were measured at years 1, 2, and 3.
The percent changes (Δ) in BMD values at years 1, 2, and 3 were as follows: RA group: 6.7 ± 6.2%, 8.9 ± 6.5%, and 9.8 ± 8.2% and PO group: 6.0 ± 4.8%, 8.9 ± 7.5%, and 12.6 ± 8.7% for the lumbar spine; RA group: 4.5 ± 4.6%, 5.2 ± 5.1%, and 6.8 ± 5.9% and PO group: 3.8 ± 4.5%, 4.6 ± 7.4%, and 6.8 ± 4.6% for the total hip; and RA group: 2.7 ± 5.1%, 4.1 ± 6.8%, and 4.3 ± 6.7% and PO group: 3.6 ± 8.0%, 4.5 ± 10.9%, and 5.7 ± 10.5% for the femoral neck, respectively. The ΔBMD for the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck as well as ΔP1NP and ΔTRACP-5b did not differ significantly between the two groups at any time points.
Denosumab treatment for osteoporosis had a similar efficacy over 3 years among women with RA and PO. A better understanding of denosumab treatment for this patient population is important in clinical practice.