Mechanism-Based Selection of Controller Therapies in Asthma and COPD N241C

1 Lesson 2 Credit Hours
2.0 Pharmacology Hours

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Accreditations applicable to this course ANCC Accredited Provider

Course Summary

Expiration Date: 08/19/2029

Airway diseases are driven by persistent inflammatory and immune processes that influence exacerbation risk, symptom stability, and long-term outcomes beyond reversible bronchoconstriction. Anti-inflammatory controller therapies—including inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, and immune-targeted biologics—modify airway biology through pathway-specific and hierarchical immune effects. This activity reviews the pharmacologic mechanisms, biomarker-guided selection, and clinical integration of controller therapies across asthma, COPD, and overlap phenotypes, with emphasis on appropriate escalation, response interpretation, and risk reduction.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

Introduction
Role of Inflammation in Airway Disease
Inhaled Corticosteroids
- Mechanism of Action
- Pharmacologic Characteristics
- Clinical Role Across Diagnoses
- Safety and Exposure
Leukotriene Modifiers
- Mechanism of Action
- Clinical Positioning
- Safety Considerations
Biologic Logic: Immune-Targeted Controller Therapies
- Hierarchy of Immune Targets
- Pharmacologic Principles
- Role of Biomarkers
Integrating Controller Therapies With Bronchodilators
Interpreting Response and Nonresponse
Diagnosis-Specific Variability
Safety, Monitoring, and Expectations
Case Study: Dupilumab in Severe Asthma Complicated by Glucocorticoid Hypersensitivity
- Background
- Case Presentation
- Discussion
Summary

Authors

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.

Elisabeth Gordon, BScPharm, RPh

Elisabeth Gordon earned her BSc(Pharm) from the University of British Columbia in 2004. After graduation, she worked in community retail pharmacies on Vancouver Island, before returning to her rural hometown of Salmon Arm. In 2016 and 2017, Elisabeth trained with Pallium Canada and Victoria Hospice to enhance her knowledge of end-of-life-care and palliative services. She is a volunteer medical supervisor for T1DOutreach, a peer support platform for adults living with type 1 diabetes, and a member of a Canadian peer support group for adults living with Birdshot Uveitis. Elisabeth enjoys working in a small, fast-paced rural pharmacy where she brings compassion and empathy to her everyday practice.