Biologics for Moderate-to-Severe Asthma

Faculty

Monica Kraft, MD
Professor, Medicine
Chair, Department of Medicine
The Robert and Irene Flinn Endowed Chair in Medicine
University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine – Tucson
Deputy Director, UA Health Sciences Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center
Tucson, Arizona

Target Audience

The educational design of this activity addresses the needs of allergists, pulmonologists, and other clinicians involved in the ongoing management of patients with moderate-to-severe asthma.

Educational Objective

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe the clinical profiles of and prescribing considerations for biologic therapies in the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma

Statement of Need

Asthma-related symptoms and exacerbations result in almost 2 million emergency department visits each year.^1,2 Importantly, severe disease accounts for an outsized proportion of asthma-related mortality, morbidity, and health care costs.^3-5 Children with severe asthma, in particular, are at increased risk for recurrent, life-threatening exacerbations and medication-related adverse outcomes.⁶ Further, parents of children with severe disease report substantial psychosocial and quality-of-life impairments.⁷

In this 4-part CME Snapshot^TM series, expert faculty will examine best practices for the assessment and phenotypic classification of moderate-to-severe asthma in adult and pediatric patients as well as evaluate biomarkers that may be used to distinguish disease endotypes and guide treatment selection. Following a review of the latest evidence surrounding biologic therapies for moderate-to-severe asthma and their use in targeting specific disease endotypes, expert faculty will walk participants through challenging clinical case scenarios—discussing the application of evidence to the practice of precision medicine in asthma care. Faculty will also share their clinical pearls on how to best engage patients in a shared decision-making manner when selecting among biologic treatment options. After completion of the activity, participants will be well-equipped to translate the latest evidence and expert recommendations for individualized asthma management to next-day practice.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asthma Facts: CDC’s National Asthma Control Program Grantees, 2013. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_facts_program_grantees.pdf
2. Nunes C, et al. Asthma Res Pract. 2017;3:1.
3. Levy ML. Breathe (Sheff). 2015;11(1):14-24.
4. Bahadori K, et al. BMC Pulm Med. 2009;9:24.
5. Pijnenburg MW, Fleming L. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8(10):1032-1044.
6. Moorman JE, et al. Vital Health Stat 3. 2012;35:1-58.
7. Boeschoten SA, et al. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2020;55(11):2883-2892.

Physician Accreditation Statement

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Global Education Group (Global) and Integritas Communications. Global is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit Designation

Global designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Global Contact Information

For information about the accreditation of this activity, please contact Global at 303-395-1782 or cme@globaleducationgroup.com.

Integritas Communications Contact Information

For all other questions about this activity, please contact Integritas Communications at info@exchangecme.com.

Instructions to Receive Credit

In order to receive credit for this activity, the participant must complete the preactivity questionnaire, view the educational content, score 70% or better on the posttest, and complete the program evaluation.

Fee Information & Refund/Cancellation Policy

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Global adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (CE), set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous. All persons in a position to control the content of an accredited continuing education program provided by Global are required to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible company within the past 24 months to Global. All financial relationships reported are identified as relevant and mitigated by Global in accordance with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE in advance of delivery of the activity to learners. The content of this activity was vetted by Global to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias.

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

The faculty have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies:

Monica Kraft: Consultant/Independent Contractor:  AstraZeneca plc, sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. Grant/Research Support:AstraZeneca plc, Chiesi USA, Inc., sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC

The planners and managers have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies:

Lindsay Borvansky, Andrea Funk, Liddy Knight, Ashley Cann, Celeste Collazo, MD, Rose O'Connor, PhD, CHCP

Term of Offering

This activity was released on May 14, 2021 and is valid for one year. Requests for credit must be made no later than May 14, 2022.

System Requirements

PC
Microsoft Windows 2000 SE or above.
Internet Explorer (v5.5 or greater), Chrome, or Firefox

MAC
MAC OS 10.2.8
Safari
Internet Explorer is not supported on the Macintosh.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Global and Integritas Communications do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.