INTRODUCTION
This online continuing medical education (CME) activity is based on presentations at the CME symposium titled When to Treat, How to Use: The Expanding Role of TNF Antagonists in Dermatology, which was held on July 28, 2006, at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, San Diego, California.

Persons who attended this symposium are NOT eligible to receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for completing this enduring material. Please note that the course is accredited only for physicians (MD, DO, or equivalent). All other participants receive a certificate of completion.

Using an interactive audio/slide/video format, the presentations explore the following topics:

• Getting to the Cause: TNF Antagonists in the Treatment of Psoriatic Disorders
  
  
• Improving Outcomes With the Use of TNF Antagonists: Assessment of Safety and Efficacy
  
  
• Optimizing Care: Applying Outcome Data to Clinical Practice

Target Audience This activity is designed for dermatologists and other health care professionals who treat patients with psoriatic disease. Release Date September 13, 2006 Expiration Date September 13, 2007 Term of Offering This activity has a release date of September 13, 2006, and is valid for 1 year. Requests for credit must be received no later than September 13, 2007. Upon successful completion of the activity and test, participants will receive further instruction regarding instantaneous online receipt of credit. For inquiries regarding technical issues or registration, please email CME/CE Support. Please direct CME content-related questions to SUNY at 800-283-4606 or cme@upstate.edu. Estimated Completion Time 2 hours

Activity Chair Craig Leonardi, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology Saint Louis University Central Dermatology St Louis, Missouri Faculty Alexa Boer Kimball, MD, MPH Director, Clinical Unit for Research Trials in Skin Assistant Professor Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital and   Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts Alan Menter, MD Chief, Division of Dermatology Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, Texas

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to

• examine the clinical features of psoriatic diseases and the role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in the treatment of these diseases;
  
  
• discuss the most recent psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) clinical trial data demonstrating the efficacy and safety of TNF antagonists, as well as improvements these therapies bring about in quality of life;
  
  
• focus on important issues critical to the safe use of TNF antagonists, such as vaccination during treatment, history of malignancy, pregnancy, combination therapy, a demyelinating disorder, or congestive heart failure; and
  
  
• illustrate the evolving role of dermatology health care professionals in the diagnosis, monitoring, and long-term treatment of psoriasis and PsA with TNF antagonists.

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 the joint sponsorship of the SUNY Upstate Medical University and Precept Educational Sciences. SUNY Upstate Medical University is accredited by the ACCME to provide CME for physicians.

SUNY Upstate Medical University designates this educational activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

Disclosures

As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the Office of Continuing Medical Education at SUNY Upstate Medical University must ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in its educational activities. All faculty are required to disclose relationships with commercial grantors or products. Faculty are also required to identify trade names, investigational products, and unlabeled uses that are discussed in their presentations. Disclosures are published so participants may formulate their own judgments regarding the presentations. Please note that all faculty will discuss unlabeled product use.

Craig Leonardi, MD
Dr Leonardi has received grant/research support from Abbott, Amgen, Genentech, and Centocor. He is a consultant for Abbott, Amgen, and Genentech. He is on the speakers bureaus of Abbott, Amgen, and Genentech.

Alexa Boer Kimball, MD, MPH
Dr Kimball indicated that she is a consultant for Procter & Gamble, Warner Chilcott, Amgen, Vanda, Transform, Macrochem, QTL, and 3M. She is an investigator for Procter & Gamble, Ortho Neutrogena, Warner Chilcott, Amgen, Centocor, Connetics, Abbott, 3M, PathFormer, Merck, Biocryst, Nucryst, Genmab, and Pepgen. Dr Kimball serves on advisory boards for Ortho Neutrogena, Nu Skin, Amgen, Centocor, Connetics, Unilever, and Abbott. She is on the speakers bureaus for Amgen, Centocor, and Abbott.

Alan Menter, MD
Dr Menter has received research support and/or is a consultant and/or lecturer for Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, Biogen Idec, Centocor, Genentech, and Serono.

Instructions to Participants

Activity participants are required to view the presentations in their entirety, pass the course test, and complete an evaluation form before receiving their CME certificates (via email and/or PDF download). No fees are charged to participate in the activity or to receive a certificate. Full instructions are available on the user instructions page.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed herein are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the commercial supporter, sponsors, or publisher. Please review complete prescribing information of specific drugs or combinations of drugs, including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects, before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.

Medicine is a constantly changing science, and clearly established therapies are not always available for every condition. New research findings necessitate continual changes in drug and treatment therapies. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide accurate, up-to-date information that is within generally accepted medical standards at the time of publication. However, as medical science is ever evolving, and human error is always possible, the commercial supporter, sponsors, and publisher (or any other involved party) do not guarantee total accuracy or comprehensiveness of the information in this article, and they are not responsible for omissions, errors, or the results of using information provided in this activity. Participants should confirm the accuracy of the information in this activity from other sources. In particular, all drug doses, indications, and contraindications should be confirmed in package inserts.

Click here to view minimum system requirements.

© 2006-2007 Precept Educational Sciences. 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 written permission from Precept Educational Sciences.