Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune disease which causes synovitis and cartilage damage. the recent identification of a subset of CD4＋ T helper cells has expanded the target of therapy for this disease. AS IL-17 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine thought to be involved in both the induction and expansion of the cytokine cascade in (RA), this systemic review and meta-analysis was designed to better understand the effectiveness of anti-IL-17 agents for the treatment of RA.

This literature search included multiple databases reviewed through September of 2015 for studies involving adult patients with RA, randomly selected for treatment with anti-IL-17 therapy compared with placebo. Thee efficac outcomes were measursd with ACR20/50/70 response to anti-IL-17 therapy.

Of the 244 citations discovered, seven were chosen for full text review, with these studies involving 1226 patients. Combining these results, anti-IL-17 agents were found to be more effective than placebo in achieving ACR 20 response (P＝0.006), as well as ACR 50 response (P＝0.005). Compared with placebo, treatment with anti-IL agents did not increase the risk of adverse events.

This literature review and meta-nalysis of randomized, controlled trials found that, for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, anti-IL-17 treatment is effective, without an increase in the risk of serious, adverse events.