Serious Fungal Infections: New Opportunities in the Prevention and Management of Invasive Aspergillosis

Jointly sponsored by Medical Education Collaborative (MEC) and Princeton CME

Purpose Statement

This activity is designed to provide those involved with aspergillosis management a foundation of evidence from current research to support optimal strategies for risk assessment, treatment, and prophylaxis of aspergillosis infection, thereby improving patient outcomes.

Target Audience

Clinicians, scientists, and pharmacists involved in aspergillosis management, infectious diseases physicians, hospitalists and other hospital-based physicians and pharmacists.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, participants should be able to:

Explain the epidemiology, prevalence, and burden of invasive aspergillosis
Describe the patient risk factors and comorbidities that contribute to the increasing burden of invasive aspergillosis
Outline current approaches to invasive aspergillosis prevention in the hospital setting
Summarize evidence regarding the benefits and limitations of traditional and new antifungal therapies for invasive aspergillosis management
Implement current evidence-based approaches to invasive aspergillosis prevention and management into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes

Credit Eligibility

To be eligible for documentation of credit, all participants must participate in the full educational activity, complete the 10-question post-test with a score of 70% or better, and complete the evaluation form. Participants who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation form online may immediately print their documentation of credit.

Participants who have successfully completed the live version of this activity are not eligible to receive credit for this enduring material.

Release date: April 23, 2008

Expiration date: April 23, 2009

Estimated time to complete: 1 hour

There is no fee associated with this activity.

Lecture Components

The presentation slides, post-test, and evaluation are available as a click through via the menu at the top of each page of this educational activity.

CME Accreditation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of Medical Education Collaborative, Inc. (MEC) and Princeton CME. MEC is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Medical Education Collaborative designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For questions regarding the ACCME accreditation of this activity, please contact Medical Education Collaborative at 866-420-3252.

CPE Accreditation

Princeton CME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education (ACPE Provider #452) and complies with the Criteria for Quality and Interpretive Guidelines. This activity is approved for 1 contact hour (0.1 CEU) of continuing pharmacy education (UPN 452-999-08-006-H01-P).

Any participant wanting to file a grievance with respect to any aspect of a continuing pharmacy education activity sponsored or cosponsored by Princeton CME may contact the Assistant Director of Continuing Education in writing. The Assistant Director of Continuing Education will review the grievance and respond within 30 days of receiving the written statement. If the participant is unsatisfied with the response, an appeal to the Director of Continuing Education may be made for a second level of review.

Grant Support

Supported by an educational grant from Schering-Plough Corporation

Participating Faculty

James S. Lewis, PharmD
Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Programs Manager
Clinical Assistant Professor
University Health System Department of Pharmacy
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Department of Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases
San Antonio, Texas

Elizabeth Dodds Ashley, PharmD, MHS, BCPS
Clinical Associate
Department of Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina

Independent Clinical Reviewer

Nina Clark, MD
Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Financial Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

According to the disclosure policy of MEC and Princeton CME, faculty, editors, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control content are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships with relevant commercial companies related to this activity. All relevant conflicts of interest that are identified are reviewed for potential conflicts of interest. If a conflict is identified, it is the responsibility of MEC and Princeton CME to initiate a mechanism to resolve the conflict(s). The existence of these interests or relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the presentation.

All educational materials are reviewed for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies reported, and levels of evidence.
The faculty has reported the following:
Dr Clark: Consultant—Pfizer; Speakers bureau—Enzon, GlaxoSmithKline
Dr. Dodds Ashley: Consultant—Pfizer, Schering-Plough Corporation; Research grant—Cubist, Schering-Plough Corporation; Speakers bureau—Astellas, Enzon, Merck, Pfizer, Schering-Plough Corporation
Dr. Lewis: Consultant—Astellas, Pfizer, Schering-Plough Corporation; Speakers bureau—Astellas, Pfizer, Schering-Plough Corporation, Wyeth

Planning Committee employees of MEC, the accredited provider for this activity; Randy Robbin and John Savage, Princeton CME; and Mary Johnson and Stacey Ohana, Princeton Media Communications have disclosed that they have no relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest.

MEC and Princeton CME require faculty to inform participants whenever off-label/unapproved uses of drugs or devices are discussed in their presentations.

The faculty has disclosed that off-label uses of liposomal amphotericin B, posaconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, micafungin, and anidulafungin will be discussed.

Privacy Policy
MEC protects the privacy of personal and other information regarding participants, educational partners, and joint sponsors. MEC and our joint sponsors will not release personally identifiable information to a third party without the individual’s consent, except such information as is required for reporting purposes to an appropriate accrediting agency. MEC and Princeton CME maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information.

Publisher’s Note
The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the presenters and are not attributable to the sponsor or the publisher, editor, or advisory board of Medical Education Collaborative, Inc (MEC) and Princeton Media Communications. Clinical judgment must guide each professional in weighing the benefits of treatment against the risk of toxicity. Dosages, indications, and methods of use for products referred to in this activity are not necessarily the same as indicated in the package insert for each product, may reflect the clinical experience of the presenters, and may be derived from the professional literature or other clinical sources. Consult complete prescribing information before administering.