Center for Independent Healthcare Education

No Patient Left Behind: Building the Case for Early RA Therapy
Clinical Update 2: From the Literature

Medium: Podcast (with RSS Feed)
Accreditation Expired

Credit Hours

Physician CME: 1.0
Physician Assistants Hours: 1.0

Initiative Overview

This Podcast is part of the Initiative No Patient Left Behind: Building the Case for Early RA Therapy which consists of multiple, sequential CME activities.

The first educational activity in this Initiative was a live meeting in Philadelphia and simultaneous webcast. This is now available as Webcast On-Demand in which experts in rheumatology discuss scientific evidence and its application to clinical practice through a case series.
Podcast is the next learning step in this Initiative. It focuses on the latest research related to undifferentiated arthritis and early rheumatoid arthritis. Podcast consists of 3 educational activities:

Clinical Update 1: From the EULAR Congress 2009
Clinical Update 2: From the Literature 2009
Clinical Update 3: From the ACR 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting

Activity Overview

Clinical Update 2 consists of 2 episodes (release date: September 21, 2009 and October 12, 2009) featuring discussions of recently-published articles related to the diagnosis, management and treatment of undifferentiated arthritis and early rheumatoid arthritis.

In Episode 1, Dr. Schiff and Dr. Massarotti discuss three articles related to the use of the latest diagnostic approaches, including autoantibody tests, to predict disease progression and comorbidities in patients with undifferentiated arthritis and early rheumatoid arthritis.

The first study compared 4 autoantibody tests alone and in combination to predict outcome measures in patients with UA and RA.
The second article describes a study that determined if there is a relationship between anti-CCP antibodies and cardiovascular disease in patients with RA.
The third article describes a 10-year prospective study that identified prognostic factors to predict the long-term radiographic outcomes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

In Episode 2, Dr. Schiff and Dr. Massarotti discuss the results from three recently published studies that attempted to identify clinical factors to predict outcomes of treatment with conventional DMARDs for patients with undifferentiated arthritis and early rheumatoid arthritis.

The first study examined whether clinical and genetic variables could be used to predict response to methotrexate in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis.
The second report used data from the Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Network (ERAN) to identify patterns of care and disease activity outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis.
The third study combined data from 2 large early arthritis cohorts to examine the prevalence of and predictive factors for DMARD-free sustained remission after treatment with conventional therapy.

Educational Overview

There has been remarkable progress in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), related in part to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. The development of several effective and safe novel therapeutic options has contributed to a shift in the treatment paradigm that now focuses on early and aggressive management supported by increasing evidence of the clinical and radiographic benefits of initiating DMARD treatment early in the course of the disease. These benefits include a reduction in the risk of associated comorbidities, in particular cardiovascular disease. Clinical remission has become an attainable goal and improved patient quality of life is now an expected outcome. All these developments have made “no patient left behind” a definite possibility.

Against this backdrop, healthcare professionals caring for patients with early RA need to be armed with the latest knowledge about ways in which to individualize therapy to achieve patient-specific goals.

Target Audience

This educational activity has been developed for rheumatologists, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals responsible for the management of patients with early RA.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this activity is to educate rheumatologists, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals responsible for the management of patients with early RA on the benefits of aggressive, early RA therapy and patient-centered management to achieve customized goals. With this knowledge, healthcare professionals will be able to tailor therapy to meet patient-specific goals making “no patient left behind” a reality.

Learning Objectives

After completing this educational activity, learners should be able to:

Recognize the benefits of pharmacotherapy for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including undifferentiated arthritis
Customize management strategies for early RA patients with comorbidities

Faculty

Elena M Massarotti, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Co-Director, Center for Clinical Therapeutics
Division of Rheumatology
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Boston, MA

Michael H Schiff, MD

Clinical Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology Division
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Denver, CO

Accreditation

Physicians

Accreditation Statement: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through joint sponsorship of Center for Independent Healthcare Education (Center) and Vemco MedEd. Center is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation: Center designates for this activity a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants

American Academy of Physician Assistants accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME. Physician assistants may receive a maximum of 1.0 hours of Category I credit for completing this activity.

For questions regarding the accreditation of this activity, please contact Center at info@jointsponsor.com.

Method of Participation and Instructions for Credit

Review the entire CME information including target audience, learning objectives, and disclosures.
Review the two episodes.
Print and complete the Post Test, Evaluation, and Credit Application form.
Mail the completed Post Test, Evaluation, and Credit Application form to Vemco MedEd, 245 US Highway 22, Suite 304, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Or Fax to (908) 450-3300.

Documentation of credit will be mailed within 4 weeks of receipt of the completed Post Test, Evaluation, and Credit Application form.

Note: If you have received credit by attending the live symposium or simulcast by the same name, you are not eligible to apply for credit for this online version.

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest

Center for Independent Healthcare Education requires faculty, planners, and others who are in a position to control the content of continuing education activities to disclose to the audience any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the activity. All identified conflicts of interest are reviewed to ensure fair balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all activities. The faculty is further required to disclose discussion of off-label uses in their presentations.

Disclosures

Faculty

Michael H Schiff, MD

Advisor/consultant: Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, UCB, Novartis, Bayer, Roche, and Array BioPharma
Promotional speaker’s bureau: Abbott

Elena M. Massarotti, MD

Grant/research support: UCB, Genentech, and EMD Serono
Advisor/consultant: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, UCB, Genentech, and EMD Serono

Planning Committee Members

Employees of Center for Independent Healthcare Education and Vemco MedEd have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Disclosure of Off-Label Use

During these episodes, the off-label use of antirheumatic agents is not discussed.

Joint Sponsorship

This activity is jointly sponsored by Center for Independent Healthcare Education and Vemco MedEd.

Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Fee

There is no fee to participate in this educational activity.

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Copyright Statement

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not reflect the views of Center for Independent Healthcare Education (Center) and Vemco MedEd. This educational activity may discuss off-label and/or investigational uses and dosages for therapeutic products/procedures that have not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Center and Vemco MedEd do not recommend the use of any product/procedure outside of the labeled indications. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product/procedure discussed. Learners should verify all information and data before treating patients or employing any therapies described in this continuing education activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product/procedure for approved indication, contraindications, and warnings.

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Contact Information

For questions regarding the accreditation of this activity, please contact Center for Independent Healthcare Education at info@jointsponsor.com

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