Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adalimumab for rheumatoid arthritis failing to respond to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang (from the date of their establishments to June 2010) were searched, and journals of relevant fields were retrieved to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The data were analyzed by using RevMan 5.0 software. Results Four RCTs were included, all of which were from abroad and with good methodological quality. The baseline data of each trial were comparable. Meta-analyses showed that there was a significant difference between the adalimumab and the placebo in terms of ACR20, ACR50, ACR70, tender joint count, swollen joint count, patient assessment of pain, patient global assessment of disease activity, doctor global assessment of disease activity, and disability index of the HAQ. There was no difference between the adalimumab and the placebo in terms of serious adverse events, intractable adverse events and serious infection. Conclusion Adalimumab can treat rheumatoid arthritis failing to respond to DMARDs, but clinically the doctor should balance the benefit and the risk of the adalimumab.