• This activity is jointly sponsored by INNOVIA Education Institute, LLC and Medical Education Collaborative and supported by an educational grant from sanofi aventis U.S. It was originally presented as a satellite symposium during the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy in St. Louis, MO.
• Estimated Time: 2 hours
• Price: $0
• Release Date: May 2007
• Expiration Date: May 31, 2008

This educational activity has been developed for clinical pharmacists, including cardiology pharmacists, and formulary managers who help manage the care of patients with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects an estimated 2.5 million Americans, increasing their mortality rate to almost twice that of individuals with normal heart rhythms. Because AF is strongly age-dependent, its prevalence is predicted to more than double by the year 2050, as the population ages.

As a result, the role of the clinical pharmacist in the management of this pressing public health problem is becoming increasingly important. This symposium is designed to help you improve your knowledge of AF and its treatment. You will consider both current and future pharmacotherapies for attaining normal sinus rhythm in AF. You will review the latest AF prevalence projections and evaluate recent clinical trial data, in light of updated practice guidelines. You will examine the pharmacological differences, efficacy, and safety of antiarrhythmic pharmacotherapies in development, as well as their potential role in AF treatment.

AF patients deserve the best evidence-based care available, guided by the experienced clinical pharmacist on the treatment team. By attending this symposium, you are taking your first step down The Road to Rhythm Control in Atrial Fibrillation.

After completing this session, participants should be able to:

• Describe the changing epidemiology of atrial fibrillation (AF) over the next 50 years
• Apply evidence-based pharmacotherapy guidelines to the AF patient, as part of theclinical team
• Discuss the appropriateness of rhythm- versus rate-controlling pharmacotherapies for AF in different patient populations
• Explain new treatment strategies and research findings in pharmacologic management of AF

Moderator

Jerry L. Bauman, PharmD, FCCP, FACC
Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Interim Dean, College of Pharmacy
Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL

Faculty

Nancy M. Allen LaPointe, PharmD
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology
Program Director, Duke Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Bramah N. Singh, MD, DSc (Oxon), DPhil, FRCP
Professor of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Los Angeles, CA

James E. Tisdale, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP
Professor
Department of Pharmacy Practice
Purdue University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
West Lafayette, IN

2.0 contact hours (0.2 CEUs) of credit for pharmacists. Approval of this course for pharmacists is under a co-sponsorship agreement between Medical Education Collaborative, Inc. (MEC) and INNOVIA Education Institute, LLC. MEC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE # 815-999-07-040-H01. The program is designed for all pharmacists.

INNOVIA Education Institute and Medical Education Collaborative (MEC) have conflict-of-interest policies that require program planners and faculty to disclose relationships with commercial entities with substantial interest in the subject matter of their presentations. The following faculty members have reported the relationships listed below:

Nancy M. Allen LaPointe, PharmD: Dr. Allen LaPointe has received research grants from Merck and Pfizer.

Jerry L. Bauman, PharmD, FCCP, FACC: Dr. Bauman has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Bramah N. Singh, MD, DSc (Oxon), DPhil, FRCP: Dr. Singh has served as a speaker/consultant for CV Therapeutics and sanofi aventis U.S.

James E. Tisdale, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP: Dr. Tisdale has received a research grant sponsored by both AstraZeneca and ACCP.

INNOVIA Education Institute and Medical Education Collaborative (MEC) staff who assisted with the development of content for this educational activity have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

This activity is jointly sponsored by INNOVIA Education Institute, LLC and Medical Education Collaborative.

Please print the post-test and evaluation form; submission instructions are provided on the form. A completed form must be submitted for participants to receive a certificate of completion for continuing education credit. Upon receipt of your evaluation, a certificate will be provided within 6 weeks.

Welcome and Introduction
Jerry L. Bauman, PharmD, FCCP, FACC

Where Are We Now?
2006 Guidelines and Selected Supporting Evidence
Nancy M. Allen LaPointe, PharmD

Audience Q&A and Faculty Discussion

The Roadmap to Optimal AF Treatment:
What the Data Show About the Importance of Sinus Rhythm
Bramah N. Singh, MD, DSc (Oxon), DPhil, FRCP

Audience Q&A and Faculty Discussion

Are We There Yet?
Antiarrhythmic Pharmacotherapies in Development
James E. Tisdale, PharmD, BCPS, FCCP

Audience Q&A and Faculty Discussion

Summary and Conclusions
Jerry L. Bauman, PharmD, FCCP, FACC

The content of this online program, including slides, audio, and handouts, are the intellectual property of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and its presenters. This material may not be recorded, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, without the express written permission of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and its presenters.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from sanofi aventis U.S.