Patient & Provider Connection: A Patient's Journey Living With Narcolepsy

Release Date: March 30, 2021
Expiration Date: March 30, 2022

Activity Overview

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy. The disorder has a significant impact on patient quality of life, yet remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Clinicians require education on the burdens associated with narcolepsy, including the potential physical, psychological, and social consequences of EDS in individuals with narcolepsy, which is crucial for providing patient-centered care.

This video-based program is designed for health care professionals to explore the diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy through a unique perspective, putting the patient voice front and center. A patient will lend their expertise to this program by sharing their journey living with narcolepsy. This online activity focuses on the complex pathophysiology and etiology of narcolepsy, the clinical presentation and diagnostic evaluation, the efficacy and safety of recommended therapies, and management best practices.

Acknowledgement of Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Harmony Biosciences, LLC.

Target Audience

This educational activity is directed toward neurologists, psychiatrists, primary care clinicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other health care professionals involved in the management of patients with narcolepsy.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this activity, you should be better prepared to:

• Identify common barriers to the timely diagnosis of narcolepsy
• Describe guideline-recommended approaches to diagnosing narcolepsy
• Customize individualized treatment plans to address patients’ narcolepsy-related burden, using shared decision-making
• Apply knowledge of the mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety of therapies for adult and pediatric patients with narcolepsy-related EDS to therapy selection

Faculty, Staff, and Planners’ Disclosures

The staff of Physicians’ Education Resource^®, LLC have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities.

Faculty

Michael Thorpy, MD
Director, Sleep-Wake Disorders Center
Montefiore Medical Center
Professor of Neurology
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY

Disclosures: Consultant/Advisory Board: Axsome, Balance Therapeutics, Eisai Pharmaceuticals, Flamel/Avadel, Harmony Biosciences, LLC, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Suven Life Sciences Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd.

Kiran Maski, MD, MPH
Director, Sleep Clinic, Department of Neurology
Assistant Professor, Neurology
Harvard Medical School
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston, MA

Disclosures: Grant/Research Support: Jazz Pharmaceuticals (investigator-initiated grant); Consultant: Alkermes, Harmony Biosciences, Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Other Support: Coverys Healthcare Foundation.

Spouse is a global medical director of rare kidney disease at Sanofi Genzyme.

PER^® mitigated all COI for faculty, staff, and planners prior to the start of this activity by using a multistep process.

Off-Label Disclosure and Disclaimer

This activity may or may not discuss investigational, unapproved, or off-label use of drugs. Learners are advised to consult prescribing information for any products discussed. The information provided in this accredited activity is for continuing education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent clinical judgment of a healthcare professional relative to diagnostic, treatment, or management options for a specific patient’s medical condition. The opinions expressed in the content are solely those of the individual faculty members and do not reflect those of PER^® or any company that provided commercial support for this activity.