What's New in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus?

Faculty

Richard A. Furie, MD
Chief of Rheumatology
Northwell Health
Professor
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Great Neck, New York

Richard A. Furie, MD, Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at Northwell Health, is a rheumatologist whose activities for the last several decades have focused on patient care, physician education, and clinical research in the area of antirheumatic drug development. He directs The Program in Novel Therapeutics, the health system’s clinical research program in musculoskeletal disease. He also directs the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Autoimmune Disease Treatment Center, which has become internationally recognized for its role in the development of new therapies for SLE.

Regarded as one of the senior rheumatologists in the New York metropolitan area, Dr Furie has been on the board of directors of the local chapters of the Arthritis Foundation and the Lupus Alliance of America and has been a member of the Medical-Scientific Advisory Council of the Lupus Foundation of America, as well as its Lupus News editorial board. He also is on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the SLE Foundation and the Alliance for Lupus Research Scientific Advisory Board. Additionally, Dr Furie has served on many committees of the American College of Rheumatology, including the College’s board of directors.

Dr Furie is often featured as a speaker at national and international conferences, as well as at home with Hofstra Northwell medical students and Northwell Health internal medicine residents.

Elena M. Massarotti, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director of Clinical Lupus Trials
Division of Rheumatology
Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs
Department of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts

Elena M. Massarotti, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as Director of Clinical Lupus Trials and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Her clinical interests include arthritis, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, gout, inflammatory myositis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid diseases, SLE, and vasculitis.

Dr Massarotti earned her medical degree from New England Medical Center–Tufts School of Medicine in Boston, where she also completed her residency and fellowship. She is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology. She was recognized as a Boston Magazine Top Doctor in 2020 and one of Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctors in 2020.

Eric Morand, MBBS (Hons), PhD, FRACP
Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Head, Rheumatic Disease Group
Monash Centre for Inflammatory Diseases
Monash University (Australia)
Melbourne, Australia

Eric Morand, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, PhD, trained in rheumatology in Australia and at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in the United Kingdom. His laboratory research focuses on glucocorticoid-induced proteins in the immune system, and his clinical research focuses on SLE. He founded the Lupus Clinic at Monash Health, now Australia’s largest lupus cohort and biobank. He is Chair of the Asia Pacific Lupus Collaboration, among the largest longitudinal cohorts of patients with SLE ever assembled. He chaired the 2017 International Congress on SLE and was awarded the William E. Paul Distinguished Innovator Award from the Lupus Research Alliance in New York. He has authored or coauthored more than 200 publications, which have been cited more than 11,000 times.

Target Audience

The educational design of this activity addresses the needs of rheumatologists and other specialists involved in the management of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Program Description

Despite improved understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms, additional assessment strategies, and hope for more available treatments, specialists face challenges in managing the diverse manifestations of, and patient populations with, SLE. During this Engaging the Patient™ enduring activity, a panel of 3 experts in SLE share interpretive insights on SLE pathophysiology, diagnosis, the use of classification criteria and measures of disease activity, and recent clinical trial data for newer targeted therapies. This forward-looking CME program aims to capture expert interpretations of existing and evolving evidence to help rheumatologists provide care that minimizes recurrent disease activity flares and cumulative organ damage that are key factors in long-term outcomes.

Learning Objectives

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

• Describe SLE pathophysiology with a focus on novel treatment targets
• Evaluate patients with SLE using evidence-based classification criteria and measures of disease activity
• Discuss new clinical trial data and regulatory status for current and emerging targeted therapies in moderate-to-severe SLE
• Manage patients with moderate-to-severe SLE based on a treat-to-target approach, evolving clinical evidence, unresolved symptoms, and patient preferences

Agenda

• How Do We Evaluate Patients with Suspected SLE?
• Comprehensive Treatment of SLE: Where are We Now?
• Insights into SLE Pathophysiology
• Focus on Investigational Agents for SLE
• Patient Goals, Treat-to-Target, and Treatment Success
• Faculty Closing Comments and Ask the Experts Q&A Session

Clinical Resource Center and Q&A Video Response

Be sure to visit the SLE Clinical Resource Center for a list of valuable online resources, as well as a video featuring Dr Furie answering additional questions that were submitted during the live symposium.

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) and Integritas Communications.  PIM 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.

Physician Continuing Medical Education

PIM designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Nursing Education

The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 2.0 contact hours. Designated for 0.75 contact hours of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

PIM requires instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflicts of interest (COI) they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified COI are thoroughly vetted and resolved according to PIM policy. PIM is committed to providing its learners with high-quality activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in health care and not a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

Richard A. Furie, MD: Consulting Fees: Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, Eli Lilly and Company, EMD Serono, Equillium, Inc., Galapagos NV, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Kezar Life Sciences, Inc., MorphoSys AG, Novartis International AG, Reistone Biopharma, Sanofi S.A., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, UCB; Contracted Research/Investigator: Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly and Company, EMD Serono, Equillium, Inc., Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Kezar Life Sciences, Inc., Nektar Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, UCB; Other (Committee Member): Lupus Research Alliance, The Lupus Academy

Elena M. Massarotti, MD: Royalties: UpToDate; Consulting Fees: Amgen Inc., EMD Serono, Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.; Contracted Research: Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi S.A.

Eric Morand, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, PhD: Consulting Fees: AbbVie, Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline plc., UCB; Fees for Non-CME/CE Services Received Directly From a Commercial Interest or Their Agents: Sanofi, Novartis; Contracted Research: AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, EMD Serono, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Planners and Managers: The PIM planners and managers have nothing to disclose. The Integritas Communications planners and managers have nothing to disclose.

Method of Participation and Request for Credit

There are no fees for participating and receiving CME/CE credit for this activity. During the period December 31, 2020 through December 31, 2021, participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures and study the educational activity. 

If you wish to receive acknowledgment for completing this activity, please complete the posttest and evaluation. Upon registering and successfully completing the post-test with a score of 75% or better and the activity evaluation, your certificate will be made available immediately.

Media

Internet

Computer System Requirements

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity 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 the planners. 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 or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient's conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

PIM Contact Information

For information about the accreditation of this program, please contact PIM via email at inquiries@pimed.com or at http://www.pimed.com.

Integritas Contact Information

For all other questions regarding this activity, please contact Christa Master with Integritas Communications via email at cmaster@integritasgrp.com.