Experts in the Hot Seat: Targeting the Cytokine Pathway in RA Management

Rheumatology
Curriculum:
Targeting the Cytokine Pathway in RA Management: Implications for Novel and Emerging IL-6 Agents
Credits:
0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)
Launch Date:
March 28, 2017
Expiration Date:
The accreditation for this activity has expired.

Primary Audience:

Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who specialize in rheumatology and internal medicine

Relevant Terms:

Rheumatoid Arthritis, RA

Peter C. Taylor, MA, BM, BCh, PhD, FRCP, FRCPE

Peter C. Taylor, MA, BM, BCh, PhD, FRCP, FRCPE
Norman Collisson Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences
Oxford University
Director of Clinical Sciences
Botnar Research Centre
Oxford, England

Peter C. Taylor, PhD, holds the Norman Collison chair of musculoskeletal sciences at the University of Oxford and is a Fellow of St. Peter's College, Oxford. He is the Director of Clinical Sciences and the Biomedical Research Unit inflammation theme at the Botnar Research Centre and leads the rheumatology clinical trials group at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology within the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences.
 
Professor Taylor was formerly Professor of Experimental Rheumatology at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division, Imperial College London and Dean of the Charing Cross campus. He studied pre-clinical medical sciences at Gonville and Caius College at the University of Cambridge and his first degree was in Physiology. He subsequently studied clinical medicine at the University of Oxford and was awarded a PhD from the University of London for studies on pathogenesis of arthritis.
 
Professor Taylor was appointed Medical Director of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, a patient-led charity that works tirelessly to support patients with rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile inflammatory arthritis. Professor Taylor chairs the UK government and NIHR Translational Research Partnership in rheumatology that brings together the UK's leading academic and clinical centres for experimental medicine and translational research into a ready-formed partnership of Universities and NHS hospitals. He was nominated as a distinguished member of the British Society for Rheumatogy in 2016.
 
Professor Taylor has specialist clinical interests in inflammatory arthritis. He has over 20 years' experience in clinical trial design and international leadership in studies of biologic and small molecular therapies in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis including the earliest seminal trails of anti-TNF and anti-IL-6 receptor therapy. His research expertise is in mechanisms sustaining inflammation and clinical trials of new therapies with development of novel outcome measurements for application in assessment of response to therapy, including ultrasonographic and high-field magnetic resonance imaging technology. In experimental medicine studies, Professor Taylor employs targeted therapies as probes of pathogenesis to investigate the in vivo biology of the target in the pathobiology of the disease phenotype under investigation. His interest in novel outcome measures also includes new tools for the personalized assessment of well-being which can be used adjunctively to clinical outcome measures in informing management decisions.

Thomas Dörner, MD, PhD

Thomas Dörner, MD, PhD
Professor of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Charite University Hospitals Berlin and DRFZ Berlin
Berlin, Germany 

Thomas Dörner, MD, PhD, is a board certified rheumatologist and clinical immunologist as well as doctor of transfusion medicine and hemostaseology. He is a professor of rheumatology and clinical immunology at Charite University Hospitals Berlin, Germany, and group leader of the B cell memory group at the German Research Center of Rheumatology Berlin. He qualified in medicine in 1990 at Charite University Hospitals Berlin and received his board certification in internal medicine in 1995 before undertaking a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, where he researched delineating molecular aspects of the B cell receptor gene usage.

Currently he has a professorship for innovative therapeutics in autoimmune diseases at Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin. His current main research topics comprise translational projects in autoimmune diseases with a main focus on the role of B cells, the interrelationship of coagulation during immune activation and searching for biomarkers of therapeutic responses.

Professor Dörner has received a number of international and national awards, including the Senior Scholar Award of the American Society of Rheumatology, the H Schultze Award of the German League against Rheumatism, the Schoen Award of the German Society of Rheumatology and the Fischer Prize by the NIH.

Professor Dörner has served as a member of editorial boards of leading journals in rheumatology, including Arthritis & Rheumatism, Arthritis Research & Therapy, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Lupus Science and Medicine, Global Arthritis Research Network (GARN), Current Reviews in Rheumatology, Brazilian Journal of Rheumatology, Rheumatology Reviews, European Journal of Immunology, and Zeitschrift für Rheumatologie.

Juan Gómez-Reino, MD, PhD

Juan J. Gómez-Reino, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Fundación Ramón Dominguez
Hospital Clinico Universitario
Santiago, Spain

Juan Gómez-Reino, MD, PhD, is Professor of Medicine and Chief of Rheumatology at the Hospital Clinico Universitario at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago, Spain. Previously, he served as chief of the Department of Research and Section of Rheumatology at Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.

Dr Gómez-Reino earned his medical and doctoral degrees at the University of Madrid, Spain. His postgraduate training in internal medicine and rheumatology was completed at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

Dr Gómez-Reino's clinical focus is on rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthrosis, and connective tissue diseases. His main research interest is in chronic inflammatory arthropathies. He has authored or co-authored many original articles and papers on rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthrosis, and other chronic rheumatic disorders. He is the head of the steering committee of the Spanish registry of biologics, BIOBADASER, which launched in 2000.
1. Delineate the role of TNF and IL-6 signaling pathways in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis and the rationale for anti-cytokine therapy as a treatment approach
2. Integrate current standards for disease activity monitoring into informing appropriate management for patients with rheumatoid arthritis
3. Incorporate emerging clinical trial data regarding the safety and efficacy of novel IL-6 targeting agents for RA into treatment decisions
4. Select treatments for patients that improve patient outcomes based on an understanding of the differences between TNF cycling and switching

PHYSICIAN CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION
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 The Omnia-Prova Education Collaborative (TOPEC) and RMEI Medical Education, LLC. TOPEC is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 
Credit Designation
The Omnia-Prova Education Collaborative, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, The Omnia-Prova Education Collaborative (TOPEC) requires that individuals in a position to control the content of an educational activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. TOPEC resolves all conflicts of interest to ensure independence, objectivity, balance, and scientific rigor in all its educational programs.
 
The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:
  • Peter C. Taylor, MA, BM, BCh, PhD, FRCP, FRCPE, discloses the following relationships with commercial interests: AbbVie, Biogen, BMS, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sandoz, Sanofi, and UCB (Consulting Fees); Abide Therapeutics, Celgene, Galapagos, GSK, and UCB (Contracted Research).
  • Thomas Dörner, MD, PhD, discloses the following relationships with commercial interests: Ablynx, Chugai, Eli Lilly, and Roche (Consulting Fees); Charite CRO, Janssen, and Sanofi (Contracted Research).
  • Juan J. Gómez-Reino, MD, PhD, discloses the following relationships with commercial interests: BMS, Pfizer (Consulting Fees); Roche (Contracted Research).
RMEI Medical Education, LLC
  • Jacqui Brooks, MBBCh, MRCPsych, has no affiliations with commercial interests to disclose.
  • Beth Paczolt Weiner, MD, has no affiliations with commercial interests to disclose.
  • Nora Hartley has no affiliations with commercial interests to disclose.
The Omnia-Prova Education Collaborative (TOPEC)
  • Sean T. Barrett has no affiliations with commercial interests to disclose.
  • Barry A. Fiedel, PhD, has no affiliations with commercial interests to disclose.
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 patients' conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
 
DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE
The views and opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of TOPEC and Omnia Education. This presentation is not intended to define an exclusive course of patient management; the participant should use his/her clinical judgment, knowledge, experience and diagnostic skills in applying or adopting for professional use any of the information provided herein. 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 patients' conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities. Links to other sites may be provided as additional sources of information. Once you elect to link to a site outside of Omnia Education you are subject to the terms and conditions of use, including copyright and licensing restriction, of that site.
 
Reproduction Prohibited
Reproduction of this material is not permitted without written permission from the copyright owner.
  
Estimated time to complete: 0.75 hours
Medium: Internet

FEE INFORMATION
There is no fee for this educational activity.

COMMERCIAL SUPPORT
This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Sanofi Genzyme and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.  

HOW TO RECEIVE CREDIT
By reviewing the course content and successfully completing the post-test and evaluation, physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants are entitled to receive up to 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. A statement of credit will be available to print from your user history page. Users must:
  • Read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures.
  • Participate in the activity.
  • Complete the activity evaluation.
Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation will receive CME credit. You must score 75% or higher on the post-test to receive credit for this activity. All other participants who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation will receive a certificate of participation.

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