Denosumab prevents metacarpal shaft cortical bone loss in patients with erosive rheumatoid arthritis

Objective Osteoclast‐mediated bone loss in the hand predicts future bone erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoclast activity depends on RANKL, which is inhibited by denosumab, an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody against RANKL. We measured metacarpal shaft cortical bone thickness using a novel computer‐based technique, digital x‐ray radiogrammetry (DXR), to evaluate the effects of denosumab on cortical bone in...