Updates for the Pharmacist on Intravenous and Subcutaneous Immunoglobulins in Primary Immunodeficiency Disease, featuring Patient Case Reviews

Program Description
Patients with primary immunodeficiency disease (PIDD) can experience recurrent or persistent infections that may become life threatening. Diagnosis of PIDD is often delayed and, as a result, patients can experience ineffective and inappropriate treatment. Pharmacists can contribute to earlier detection and disease control for patients with PIDDs. For more than half of patients with a diagnosed PIDD with an antibody deficiency, lifelong immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy has been the standard of care. Continued advances to formulations require that pharmacists be acutely aware of developments and differences between Ig products, as seemingly small differences can have significant impact on the health of patients. This activity will review dosing and administration specifications for intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) Ig therapies in the management of PIDD, and, specifically, transitioning from IV to SC Ig therapies. Patient case examples will be incorporated into the discussion to offer perspectives on the pharmacist’s role in facilitating appropriate product selection and helping improve the patient’s quality of life.

Target Audience: Specialty pharmacists

Type of Activity: Application

Release date: November 12, 2021

Expiration date: November 12, 2022

Time to complete activity: 1.0 hour

Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the pathophysiology and clinical challenges of common primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDDs)
• Differentiate intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) immunoglobulins for PIDD including dosing, efficacy, and unique characteristics of products
• Identify the role of the specialty pharmacist in the management of PIDD as well as considerations for SC and IV initiation, administration, and adverse effect management

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-0000-21-388-H01-P. The activity is available for CE credit through November 12, 2022.

Instructions for Completing the Activity and Receiving CPE Credit

To receive CPE credit, participants must complete the pretest, read the article in its entirety, complete the posttest, and complete the online activity evaluation. After successful completion of the online activity evaluation, you can submit your credit to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net. All participants must request credit before the activity expiration date. CE credit will not be issued after this date.

Disclosures

Luigi Brunetti, PharmD, PhD, has the following financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:
Grant/Research Support: CSL Behring, Merck & Co
Consultant: Tabula Rasa Healthcare, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ Planning Staff—Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Maryjo Dixon, RPh; Liza Patel, PharmD, RPh; Liz Rauh; Susan Pordon; Brianna Winters; and Chloe Taccetta have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Anonymous peer reviewers are used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewers have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.


Educational Disclaimer
CPE activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or they may be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

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