More Than Skin Deep: Improved Strategies for Pemphigus Vulgaris Management 

Release Date: July 15, 2020
Last Reviewed: June 7, 2020 
Expiration Date: July 15, 2021
Time to Complete Activity:  1.0 hour

*This activity expired for credit on July 15, 2021 and is no longer available for credit


Faculty
Annette Czernik, MD
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Clinical Director, Mount Siani Dermatology Faculty Practice 
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, NY

Saakshi Khatri, MBBS, MD
Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Rheumatology
(Internal Medicine)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Director, Center for Connective Tissue Disease
Mount Siani Health System
New York, NY
This activity is provided by Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC.   

Target Audience
This initiative has been designed to meet the educational needs of clinicians who treat patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV), including dermatologists and rheumatologists. It may also benefit other clinicians who care for patients with PV.

Statement of Need
PV belongs to a group of rare autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disorders that were often fatal prior to the introduction of effective treatments. High morbidity associated with side effects of corticosteroid therapy drove the search for alternate therapies with a better safety profile. Rituximab has demonstrated significantly better efficacy for induction therapy in PV, as well as efficacy for maintenance therapy and for relapsed disease. Studies have shown greater benefit with earlier rituximab therapy, yet adoption of rituximab therapy has been slow despite its proven benefits. A lack of updated guidelines that include evidence-based recommendations for rituximab induction, along with heterogenous disease presentation and other challenges, leave clinicians in need of education about optimal management of PV. Education targeting dermatologists, who most frequently diagnose PV, and rheumatologists, who have experience using rituximab, can foster better understanding and preparedness to effectively treat this disease.

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

• Develop evidence-based initial treatment strategies for patients with systemic PV 
• Select appropriate maintenance therapies for PV based on clinical evidence and patient characteristics
• Determine effective therapy for patients who have relapsed or refractory PV 

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Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit Designation Statement
Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC 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. 

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points [and patient safety MOC credit] in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

PA Continuing Education
PAs may claim a maximum of 1.0 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.

Nurse Practitioner Continuing Education
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME. Individuals are responsible for checking with the AANPCP for further guidelines.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Genentech. 

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To receive a CME certificate of participation, you should:

• Follow instructions to register or log in with your professional information and complete the preactivity assessment
• View the online activity in its entirety
• Complete and submit the online posttest and evaluation

A certificate of participation will be available for download/printing immediately following your successful completion of the posttest and evaluation. 

For questions regarding CME credit, contact the Paradigm CME Department at (845) 398-5949.

There is no fee required for participation in this activity.

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Disclosures
In accordance with ACCME requirements on disclosure, faculty and contributors are asked to disclose any relationships with commercial interests associated with the area of medicine featured in the activity. These relationships are described below.

Annette Czernik, MD
Has no financial relationship to disclose 

Saakshi Khatri, MBBS, MD
Consulting Fees: Novartis, Pfizer Inc.
Speakers Bureau: Pfizer Inc.

Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC staff members have no financial relationships to disclose.

Independent peer and patient reviewers have no financial relationships to disclose.

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