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The Emerging Role of TNF Blockade in the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis and Psoriasis

A supplement to Skin & Allergy News supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Wyeth and Amgen.
Highlights of presentations based on a satellite symposium program held June 30, 2002, in Paris, France.
The American Academy of Dermatology certifies that this educational activity has been recognized for 1 hour of AAD Category 1 credit and may be used toward the American Academy of Dermatology's Continuing Medical Education Award.

•Contents
•Target Audience
•Educational Needs
•Learning Objectives
•Accreditation

Medical Education Library
To view the supplement, click the image above. To take the CME test, download and print out the PDF file, and follow the test instructions on page 12.

Contents

The Role of TNF in Autoimmune Disorders
Ferdinand C. Breedveld, MD, PhD
Head, Department of Rheumatology
Leiden University
Medical Center
Leiden, The Netherlands
Consultant: Centocor, Inc., Schering-Plough Corporation, Wyeth, Amgen Inc., Abbott Laboratories.

New Concepts in the Management of Psoriatic Arthritis
Mark G. Lebwohl, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Dermatology
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY
Investigator for and on the speakers' bureau of Wyeth and Amgen. He discusses the unlabeled use of etanercept for the treatment of psoriasis.

TNF Blockade for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Clinical Experiences
Nicholas J. Lowe, MD, FRCP, FACP
Clinical Professor of Dermatology
University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles
Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Dermatology
Cranley Clinic and UCL School of Medicine
London
Clinical Grants: Immunex Corporation. He discussed the unlabeled use of etanercept, methotrexate, hydroxyurea, and acitretin in the treatment of psoriasis and the investigational use of etanercept for the treatment of psoriasis.

New Developments in the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis
Alice B. Gottlieb, MD, PhD
Director, Clinical Research Center
W.H. Conzen Chair in Clinical Pharmacology
Professor of Medicine, University of Medicine
And Dentistry of New Jersey
Robert Woods Johnson Medical School
New Brunswick, NJ
Clinical Grants: Wyeth and Amgen; Consultant: Wyeth and Amgen. She discusses the unlabeled use of etanercept for the treatment of psoriasis.
Target Audience

This activity has been developed for dermatologists and other clinicians involved in the treatment of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Educational Needs

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockade has been used successfully for a number of years to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, data have emerged indicating the potential benefits of anti-TNF therapy in the treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Clinicians must understand the underlying rationale for the use of TNF inhibition in these diseases, and need to be kept up-to-date on the results of clinical trials involving the use of anti-TNF agents such as etanercept and infliximab.

Learning Objectives

By reading and studying this supplement, participants should be able to:

• Discuss the clinical experience to date with TNF blockade in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, including the results of phase III clinical trials that led to the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of etanercept for the treatment of patients with this disease.

• Describe and explain the clinical studies involving the use of anti-TNF therapy in patients with psoriasis.

• Explain the rationale for the use of TNF blockade in the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis.

• Discuss the data accumulated to date regarding the safety and efficacy of anti-TNF therapy, including the experience in clinical trials as well as postmarketing surveillance data.

Accreditation

The American Academy of Dermatology certifies that this educational activity has been recognized for 1 hour of AAD Category 1 credit and may be used toward the American Academy of Dermatology's Continuing Medical Education Award. This program was developed in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education guidelines. Term of Approval: October 2002–October 2003.