Inside Myasthenia Gravis: Where Providers and Patients Diverge on Defining Treatment Success

Activity Overview

The understanding and prognosis of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) have made dramatic leaps since the advent of serological evaluation and immunotherapy. In fact, clinicians have become so confident in the ability to diagnose and manage MG that prominent medical organizations commonly boast the ability of these patients to lead “normal lives.” However, studies find that clinician and patient perceptions are often not the same. In fact, many patients report traumatic diagnostic journeys, dissatisfaction with treatment, and persistent negative impacts to quality of life.

Accordingly, this program incorporates survey results of more than 100 patients with MG, recruited in collaboration with the MG Hope Foundation, alongside the latest scientific literature to get to the bottom of these disconnects and help to formulate modern and cohesive care plans that truly meet patient needs.

Target Audience

The target audience for this initiative includes general neurologists, neuromuscular disease specialists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and management of patients with MG.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify key challenges and experiences of individuals living with MG surrounding their diagnosis and management to formulate more effective communication and therapeutic decision-making strategies that are aligned with patient needs and goals
• Recognize both more and less common clinical indicators (e.g., symptom fluctuation) of MG across phenotypes and formulate a prioritized schema of available diagnostic tools (e.g., serology) to more rapidly and efficiently diagnose varying presentations of MG
• Evaluate the mechanisms of action of, phase 3 data with, and patient experience utilizing recently approved and emerging agents (e.g., complement inhibitors, Fc receptor antagonists) to appropriately integrate these approaches into the management of diverse MG phenotypes

Presenting Faculty

James F. Howard Jr., MD, FAAN (Chair)
Professor of Neurology, Medicine and Allied Health School of Medicine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

Ericka P. Greene, MD
The Sumner Family Distinguished Chair in Neuromuscular Research
Program Director, Neurology and Neuromuscular Residencies
Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology
Houston Methodist University
Weill Cornell Medical College
Houston, TX

Nicholas J. Silvestri, MD, FAAN
Professor of Neurology
University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Buffalo, NY

Commercial Supporter

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Alexion.  

This activity is jointly provided by Medical Education Resources and Efficient LLC and was developed in partnership with the Myasthenia Gravis Hope Foundation.

Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Medical Education Resources (MER) and Efficient LLC. MER 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.

Designation Statement

Physicians
Medical Education Resources 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.

Certificate of Participation for Other Healthcare Professionals
A Certificate of Participation will be given upon completion of the activity enabling participants to register their credit with the appropriate licensing boards or associations.

Disclosure of Financial Relationships

Medical Education Resources ensures balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all our educational activities. In accordance with this policy, MER identifies relevant financial relationships with its instructors, content managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of an activity. Reported relevant financial relationships are mitigated by MER to ensure that all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in an accredited continuing education activity conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis. MER is committed to providing learners with high-quality accredited continuing education activities that promote improvements or quality in health care and not the business interest of an ineligible company.

Staff Disclosures
Efficient LLC and Medical Education Resources' planners and managers have no financial relationships to disclose.

Faculty Disclosures
The program faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships that they have with commercial interests:

Dr Howard:

• Grants/Research Support: Alexion, Argenx, Cartesian Therapeutics, Takeda, UCB
• Consulting Fees: AcademicCME, Alexion, Aregenx, Biologix Pharma, F. Hofmann-LaRoche Ltd, Horizon Therapeutics, Immunovant, Merck EMB Serono, NMD Pharma, Novartis, UCB, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Toleranzia AB, Zai Labs
• Ownership Interest/Shareholder: General Electic, GE Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Viatris

Dr Greene:

• Consulting Fees: Alexion
• Speakers’ Bureau: Alexion
• Ownership Interest/Shareholder: Argenx

Dr Silvestri:

• Consulting Fees: Alexion, Argenx, Horizon, Janssen, Immunovant, UCB
• Speaker’s Bureau: Alexion, Argenx

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use/Disclaimer

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

The content and views presented in this educational activity are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Medical Education Resources, Efficient LLC, and/or Alexion. The authors have disclosed if there is any discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA in their presentations. Before prescribing any medicine, primary references and full prescribing information should be consulted. 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 on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management.

Method of Participation

There are no fees for participating in and receiving credit for this activity. During the period September 12, 2023, through September 12, 2024, participants must: 1) read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures, 2) complete the pre-activity assessment, 3) study the educational activity, 4) complete the posttest by recording the best answer to each question, and 5) complete the evaluation form.

A statement of credit will be issued only upon receipt of a completed activity evaluation form.

Media

Internet

Contact

If you have any questions about this activity, please contact Efficient at contact@efficientcme.com.

If you have accreditation questions, please visit https://cmepartner.org/contact/