Clozapine is a medication that exhibits unique efficacy and effective for those with serious mental illness. However, the risks of using clozapine, the monitoring required for its use, issues facing prescribers who may wish to employ it, and a variety of administrative burdens have all proved to be barriers to its more widespread use. This presentation will discuss the barriers to the use of clozapine and recommendations of a national workgroup seeking to overcome these barriers.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the utility of clozapine in the treatment of serious mental disorders
• List barriers to the use of clozapine and discuss collaborative strategies to increase access and improve its utilization
• Explain new guidelines and requirements for clozapine monitoring in the US including the impact and recognition of Benign Ethnic Neutropenia

Target Audience

Psychiatrist, Nurse/Nurse Practitioner, Pharmacist, Physician (non-psychiatrist), Physician Assistant

Instructional Level

Intermediate

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour
Program Start Date: April 25, 2019
Program End Date: April 25, 2022

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course, including the evaluation. A multiple choice quiz is provided based on the content. A passing score of 75% must be achieved. Retakes are available for the test. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians), or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the completion date and hours earned.

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Presenters/Planners 

• Deanna Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, University of Maryland, School of Medicine. Disclosure: Consultant- HLS Therapeutics, Alkermes, Lundbeck, Saladax. 
• Raymond Love, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. Disclosure: Consultant- Maryland Medicaid Pharmacy Program; Grant/Research- National Institutes of Health, Maryland Department of Health; Honoraria - American Psychiatric Association, Nevada Psychiatric Association, American Pharmacists Association, and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations. 

Planners

• John Torous, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Torous has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. (Reviewed on 4/19/22)
• Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Dr. Brister has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. (Reviewed on 4/19/22)

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact SMIAdviserHelp@psych.org for technical assistance