Making Sense of LDL-C Combination Therapy in 2022: Strategies and Pearls to Move Beyond Inertia to Improve Patient Outcomes

Lowering LDL-C effectively and safely is paramount to prevent and lower the risk of recurrent ASCVD events.  Even with the advances in LDL-C lowering therapy, LDL-C goal achievement is low, and clinical inertia and patient non-adherence are major factors for continued ASCVD residual risk.  The landscape of LDL-C lowering therapy is rapidly evolving, with several new and emerging agents that may help address these gaps.  In this activity, experts overview the efficacy and safety of these new approaches, how they fit in with the current treatment options for LDL-C lowering, and application to patient care. The information is presented in an easy and digestible format, accompanied by additional resources and suggested readings.

Target Audience

US-based healthcare professionals, including cardiologists, endocrinologists, lipidologists, primary care clinicians (PCPs), registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals involved in the management and treatment of cardiometabolic patients.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

  •  Recognize the need for the early and adequate intensification of LDL-C lowering therapy beyond statins to address ASCVD risk.
  •  Interpret the data from across major trials and real-world studies with PCSK9 inhibitors and their implications for patient selection
  • Review the new approaches with novel LDL-C lowering agents and their potential impact in ASCVD risk reduction
  • Select individualized treatment strategies for hypercholesterolemic patients that prioritize the early initiation and intensification of therapy to reduce ASCVD risk.

Additional Information

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.25 ABIM MOC and AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
  • 1.25 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
  • 1.25 ANCC
  • 1.25 CDE
  • 1.25 Participation
Course opens: 
02/23/2023
Course expires: 
02/23/2024
Rating: 
0


Christie M. Ballantyne, MD
Center for Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX

Dr. Ballantyne discloses the following:

Grant/Research Support (All paid to institution, not individual): Abbott Diagnostic, Akcea, Amgen, Arrowhead, Esperion, lonis, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Regeneron, Roche Diagnostic, NIH, AHA, ADA.

Consultant: 89Bio, Abbott Diagnostics, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Althera, Amarin, Amgen, Arrowhead, AstraZeneca, Denka Seiken, Esperion, Genentech, Gilead, lllumina, Matinas BioPharma Inc, Merck, New Amsterdam, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche Diagnostic, Sanofi-Synthelabo

 

Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS 
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and Epidemiology 
Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Health 
Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology 
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 
Baltimore, MD

Dr. Michos discloses the following:

Consultant, Advisor, Speaker: AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Esperion, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer

 

Joseph Saseen, PharmD
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy; Professor, Department of Family Medicine
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - Aurora, CO

Dr. Saseen has nothing to disclose. 

ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE ACTIVITY
1.25 hours

EDUCATIONAL GRANT SUPPORT

Supported by an educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

JOINT PROVIDERSHIP STATEMENT
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In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Partners for Advancing Clinical Education (PACE) and Cardiometabolic Health Congress (CMHC).  PACE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

PHYSICIAN CONTINUING EDUCATION

PACE designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABIM MOC

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.25 MOC points 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.

NURSING CONTINUING EDUCATION

The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.25 contact hours. Pharmacotherapy contact hours for Advance Practice Registered Nurses will be designated on your certificate.

PHARMACY CONTINUING EDUCATION

PACE designates this continuing education activity for 1.25 contact hour(s) (0.10 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

Universal Activity Number - JA4008073-9999-23-054-H01-P 

Type of activity: Application

For Pharmacists: Upon completing the post-test and the activity evaluation form, transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4 – 6 weeks.

DIETITIAN CONTINUING EDUCATION

This program offers 1.25 CPEUs for dietitians.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION & REQUEST FOR CREDIT
There are no registration fees for this activity. During the period February 23, 2023 through February 23, 2024, participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures, study the educational activity, obtain a score of 75% or better on the post-test, and complete the evaluation.  Upon completing, your certificate will be available for print. For questions about receiving certificates, please contact us at CMHC_Eval@cardiometabolichealth.org.

For additional information about the accreditation of this activity, please visit https://partnersed.com

For Pharmacists: Please complete the evaluation instructions above. Upon registering and completing the activity evaluation, your transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4-6 weeks.

DISCLOSURES
The PACE planners and others have no relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies. The CMHC planners and others have no relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
PACE requires instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose all financial relationships they may have with ineligible companies. All relevant financial relationships are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to PACE policy. PACE is committed to providing learners with high-quality accredited CE activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE 

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. 

DISCLAIMER 

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

 

Available Credit

  • 1.25 ABIM MOC and AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
  • 1.25 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
  • 1.25 ANCC
  • 1.25 CDE
  • 1.25 Participation
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Required Hardware/software

A computer with an internet connection

Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 7.x or higher, Firefox 4.x or higher, Safari 2.x or higher, or any other W3C standards compliant browser

Other additional software may be required such as PowerPoint or Adobe Acrobat Reader.