Treat-to-Target and Targeted Therapy: The Evolving State of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patient Care

This CME-certified enduring activity is jointly provided by

  

Support for this activity has been provided through an educational grant from AstraZeneca.

Release date: 9/17/2018

Expiration date:  9/17/2019

Estimated time to complete: 1.0 hour

Overview

The complex and varied nature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the absence of standard therapeutic options beyond corticosteroids and systemic immunosuppressive therapy make managing this disease an extreme clinical challenge. Achieving disease remission yields positive long-term outcomes, but only 2%–7% of patients reach this goal—and then only after long-term treatment. Recent clinical findings have demonstrated that, for patients with moderate to severe SLE, combining targeted and standard therapies can achieve meaningful reduction in both disease activity and the need for ongoing corticosteroid therapy. These results suggest that a significant expansion of the SLE armamentarium is likely imminent.

This activity has been developed to help rheumatologists and other clinicians who treat SLE patients stay current on new, fast-emerging options and strategies for SLE management (ie, personalized medicine and treat-to-target). Among the topics covered are the key immunopathogenic features of SLE, low disease activity as an outcome measure, and recent clinical advances in the use of new targeted biologic therapies.

Faculty

Laura L. Tarter, MD
Associate Physician
Member, Faculty of Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of rheumatologists and other health care providers who are involved in the care of patients with SLE.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

  • Outline key immunopathogenic features of SLE
  • Evaluate the role of low disease activity as a possible outcome measure in SLE
  • Review recent clinical advances in the use of new targeted biologic therapies for the management of SLE and their potential implications for clinical practice

Accreditation and Credit Designation

This activity has been planned and implemented by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and RedMedEd. Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the health care team.

Physicians
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Advanced Practice Nurses, Nurses, Physician Assistants
Advanced practice nurses, nurses, and physician assistants may participate in this educational activity and earn a letter of attendance; AANP, ANCC, and AAPA accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ through their reciprocity agreements.

Peer Review
To help ensure content objectivity, independence, and fair balance and to ensure that the content is aligned with the interest of the public, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) has resolved all potential and real conflicts of interest through content review by a non-conflicted, qualified reviewer. This activity was peer-reviewed for relevance, accuracy of content, and balance of presentation by Johnson C. Kay, DO, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Research, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

This activity was field-tested for time required for participation by Johnson C. Kay, DO, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Research, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

This activity was field-tested for time required for participation by Marion Sidor, MD and Roman Zuckerman, DO.

Disclosure

According to the disclosure policy of RBHS and to conform with Joint Accreditation requirements and FDA guidelines, individuals who are in a position to control the content of this educational activity are required to disclose to activity participants any relevant relationships with any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, with the exception of nonprofit or government organizations and non–health care related companies, within the past 12 months. The existence of these interests or relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the presentation. Disclosures are as follows:

Activity Faculty
Laura L. Tarter, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Reviewer
Johnson C. Kay, DO, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Field Testers
Marion Sidor, MD and Roman Zuckerman, DO, have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

RBHS Center for Continuing Outreach and Education
Patrick Dwyer, Director, Continuing Medical Education, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

RedMedEd
Denise C. LaTemple, PhD, Director of Scientific Services, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Kristen Petro Slade, Director of Operations, had disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Jonathan S. Simmons, ELS, Senior Managing Editor, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Karen Smith, Creative Director, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Karen Tenaglia, Project Manager, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Unapproved Product Use

This educational activity contains discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration. It describes the investigational use of non-approved products including rituximab, abatacept, anifrolumab, and forigerimod for SLE. Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and RedMedEd do not recommend the use of any agent outside the labeled indications.

Disclaimer

The information presented in this activity is for continuing medical education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician regarding diagnosis and treatment of a specific patient’s medical condition.

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any manufacturer of pharmaceuticals or devices, RBHS, or RedMedEd. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Method of Participation

There are no fees to participate in the activity. Participants must review all activity information, including the learning objectives, disclosure statements, and content. To receive CME credit, participants must complete the posttest (achieving a grade of 80% or greater) and program evaluation. Certificates can be printed immediately.

For questions regarding the activity content, or CE related questions or concerns, contact Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences at 973.972.4267 or ccoe@ca.rutgers.edu.

For technical questions related to this activity, please contact RedMedEd at 610.251.6841 or education@redmeded.com.

Hardware/Software Requirements

  • Apple iPad or iPad mini (iOS 8 or higher) with an Internet connection
  • A computer with an Internet connection
    • Internet browser (PC): Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 or higher, or Firefox 26 or higher
    • Internet browser (Mac): Google Chrome, Firefox 26 or higher, or Safari 5 or higher
    • Additional software: Adobe Flash Player and/or an HTML 5-capable browser is required for video or audio playback; Adobe Acrobat Reader may occasionally be required

Privacy

This website is managed by RedMedEd, and RedMedEd’s printed privacy policy applies to this site. CME credit for this activity is provided by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. If you register for CME credit for this educational activity, RedMedEd will forward relevant personally identifiable information to Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences so that records can be maintained concerning any credits issued to you. Aggregated data concerning registrations, posttests, and evaluations may be shared, but RedMedEd will not knowingly share any personally identifiable information. Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences may use the information you provide on this site to contact you about your CME credit or other relevant educational activities provided through RBHS. To review the Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences CE privacy policy, click here.

Copyright

© 2018. This CME certified activity is held as copyrighted by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and RedMedEd. All rights reserved including translation into other languages. No part of this activity may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences or RedMedEd.