Free CME

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Biosimilar drugs are products meant to be similar in quality, safety, and efficacy to an already licensed reference biotherapeutic product. There has been remarkable growth in the number of commercially available products considered biosimilar by the FDA: over 30 FDA-approved and over 20 launched by one recent count. One therapeutic area of upcoming expansion of approvals is in ocular indications, where there is considerable active research and where available data indicate identical or near-identical rates of efficacy, safety outcomes, and immunogenicity. Biosimilars save the U.S. healthcare system $338 billion annually, a remarkable statistic for medications that are clinically interchangeable, and they are expected to continue to play a role in reducing the burden of healthcare expenditures in an era of heightened cost consciousness.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: ophthalmologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in ophthalmology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients eye disease.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an ultra-rare genetic connective tissue disorder characterized by dysregulated chondrogenesis, with heterotopic ossification (HO) being the most typical feature. The global prevalence of FOP is estimated at 1.43 per million individuals, with a U.S. prevalence of 0.88 per million. FOP develops due to a mutation in the ACVR1 gene encoding the active receptor-like kinase (ALK2), with unique presenting symptoms including great toe malformations and the development of swelling in several areas of the body within the first decade of life.

Target Audience:

HCPs including: pediatricians, pediatric orthopedic surgeons, endocrinologists, and medical geneticists; nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists who practice in orthopedics, orthopedic surgery, and rheumatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with FOP.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Thalassemias are a group of recessively inherited blood disorders characterized by little or no hemoglobin production and chronic anemia of varying severity. Beta-thalassemia (BT) is most commonly found in people of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African descent. Worldwide, 1.5% of people are BT carriers, with about 40,000 infants born with BT annually. About half of patients with BT are transfusion-dependent, which may significantly impact patient quality of life. BT is caused by a point mutation in the gene encoding hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB), resulting in either lower beta-globin production (termed beta-plus [B⁺]) or the prevention of all beta-globin production (termed beta-zero [B⁰]). Disease severity depends on the extent of hemoglobin β and γ chain imbalance.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in hematology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with beta-thalassemia.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in an estimated five to seven percent of term births and up to 90% of preterm births. The risk for neonatal RDS decreases with increasing gestational age,  such that at a gestational age of 37 weeks, the risk has fallen to just three times that of a full-term infant. In addition to premature birth, risk factors for neonatal RDS include maternal gestational diabetes, male sex, multiparity, abnormal fetoplacental circulation, fetal distress, Cesarean delivery, and low birth weight. The ability for the clinician to recognize neonatal RDS is a documented practice gap, and failure to do so is associated with mortality and complications that may include respiratory failure in the short-term and chronic lung disease in the long-term.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: neonatologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in neonatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with neonatal RDS.  

In this online, self-learning activity:

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurs in an estimated five to seven percent of term births and up to 90% of preterm births. The risk for neonatal RDS decreases with increasing gestational age,  such that at a gestational age of 37 weeks, the risk has fallen to just three times that of a full-term infant. In addition to premature birth, risk factors for neonatal RDS include maternal gestational diabetes, male sex, multiparity, abnormal fetoplacental circulation, fetal distress, Cesarean delivery, and low birth weight. The ability for the clinician to recognize neonatal RDS is a documented practice gap, and failure to do so is associated with mortality and complications that may include respiratory failure in the short-term and chronic lung disease in the long-term.

Target Audience:

The following healthcare professionals: neonatologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in neonatology; and any other healthcare professionals with an interest in or who clinically encounter patients with neonatal RDS.  

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common monogenic blood disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide and approximately 100,000 Americans. Although it may be found in various areas of the world, SCD predominantly affects individuals of African or Hispanic heritage. It is caused by the inheritance of b-globin alleles that code for hemoglobin S, resulting in an amino acid substitution in hemoglobin’s b chain and clinical disease. Patients with SCD have impaired circulation, and lysis of the erythrocytes contributes to a chronic inflammatory response, causing severe pain and less efficient oxygen delivery. The hallmark clinical features of SCD are hemolytic anemia and painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which may lead to emergency department visits, hospitalization, and potentially fatal complications such as acute chest syndrome, stroke, or pneumonia.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who specialize in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with SCD.

Popular activities include:
• Treatment of the Woman with Refractory Overactive Bladder
• Diagnostic Testing for Rupture of Membranes:
• Performance of ROM Diagnostics in Clinically Relevant Populations
• Updates in HPV Testing and Genotyping
• Screening and Maternal Fetal Rh Incompatibility
• HPV Screening & Testing
• Managing Osteoporotic Fracture Risk

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on OB/GYN, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine.