DISCLOSURE POLICY STATEMENT It is the policy of cme² to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its educational activities. All faculty/authors participating in our programs are expected to disclose any relationships they may have with commercial companies whose products or services may be mentioned so that participants may evaluate the objectivity of the presentations.
Michel Hermans, MD reports that he has received honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Solvay, AstraZeneca, Roche, sanofi-aventis, Nycomed, Merck, and Menarini. He receives consulting fees from Lilly, Bayer, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, and sanofi-aventis.
Paul Dodson, MD reports that he has received honoraria from Solvay and Takeda.
Paula Fioretto, MD reports that she has received consulting fees from Solvay.
Henry Ginsberg, MD reports that he has received honoraria and consulting fees from Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Takeda, Reliant, GlaxoSmithKline, Isis, sanofi-aventis, and AstraZeneca. He conducts contracted research for Takeda, Isis, and sanofi-aventis.

Peer Reviewer: Laurie Bailey, MD, disclosed that he has no relevant financial relationship with any commercial interests.

DISCLOSURE OF DISCUSSIONS OF OFF-LABEL AND INVESTIGATIONAL USES OF DRUGS This activity will discuss use of Rimonabant which is not approved for use in the United States.

DISCLOSURE ATTESTATION Each of the contributing physicians listed above has attested to the following: 1) that the relationships/affiliations noted will not bias or otherwise influence his or her involvement in this activity; 2) that stated practice recommendations that may be relevant to the companies with whom they have relationships/affiliations will be supported by the best available evidence or, absent evidence, will be consistent with generally accepted medical practice; and 3) that all reasonable clinical alternatives will be discussed when making practice recommendations.

DISCLAIMER The information presented in any case presented in this activity is only one approach to patient care, and good clinical judgment should be used to design a medication regimen tailored to each patient's individual characteristics. Clinicians have implied responsibility for the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. 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 patients' conditions and possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

CREDIT DESIGNATION cme² designates this educational activity for a maximum of .5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she spent on the activity.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through cme². cme² is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

LEARNER BILL OF RIGHTS cme² recognizes that you are a life-long learner who has chosen to engage in continuing medical education to identify or fill a gap in knowledge, skill, or performance. As part of cme²’s duty to you as a learner, you have the right to expect that your continuing medical education experience with cme² will include:

Content that:

Promotes improvements or quality in healthcare. Is valid, reliable, and accurate. Offers balanced presentations that are free of commercial bias for or against a product/service. Is vetted through a process that resolves any conflicts of interests of planners and faculty. Is driven and based on learning needs, not commercial interests. Addresses the stated objectives or purpose. Is evaluated for its effectiveness in meeting the identified educational need.

A learning environment that:

Supports learners’ ability to meet their individual needs. Respects and attends to any special needs of the learners. Respects the diversity of groups of learners. Is free of promotional, commercial, and/or sales activities.

Disclosure of:

Relevant financial relationships planners, instructors, and authors have with commercial interests related to the content of the activity. Commercial support (funding or in-kind resources) of the activity.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This activity is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from the Residual Risk Reduction Initiative.

To Obtain CME Credits This activity includes text, graphics, and may include multi-media features. Click on all of the medical education activity links and review the content presented.

1. Read, complete, and submit answers to the examination and evaluation questions online.
2. You must score with a 70% or higher to receive credit for this activity.
3. Once you have successfully completed the examination & evaluation, a certificate will be automatically generated.

COURSE VIEWING REQUIREMENTS

Release Date: June 2, 2008
Expiration Date: June 2, 2009

This continuing medical education activity is sponsored by cme²