Title

Sponsoring Company

New Classes of Antiretrovirals: The Clinical Role of Integrase Inhibitors and Entry Inhibitors

Meal/Reception Time: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
  Location: E450A

This activity is designed as a state-of-the-art curriculum for physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the management of HIV-infected patients. The purpose of this activity is for participants to acquire knowledge for the optinal clinical management of patients with HIV infection.

Registration: Please register online at clinicaloptions.com/role. On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Merck & Co., Inc.

Resistant Super Bugs: Searching for the Molecular and Clinical Lifeline for Gram-Positive Infections

 Meal/Reception Time: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
  Location: E353AB

The meeting program will begin with an informal 20 min Experts Studio of roundtable interviews and discussion by the chair and presenters followed by four didactic clinical presentations concluding with a general Q&A session. The purpose of the Experts Studio is to understand how the faculty came to participate in the work they are presenting, and thus humanize, enrich, and increase the overall educational value of the subsequent clinical program.

Registration: On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Targanta Therapeutics Corporation

CMV Disease in Transplant Recipients: Strategies, Challenges, and Opportunities

 Meal/Reception Time: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
  Location: E353C

This symposium will highlight the many facets of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant or solid organ transplant. A team of infectious diseases experts will provide state-of-the-art, case-based approaches for managing the real-world challenges posed by this important viral pathogen. The latest advances in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of CMV in transplant patients as well the mechanisms and impact of CMV resistance will be presented. Do not miss this opportunity to learn the most up-to-date information on CMV in the transplant population and get answers from the experts about your most challenging clinical cases.

Registration: On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

ViroPharma Incorporated

Title

Sponsoring Company

MRSA:  Addressing the Issues

 Meal/Reception Time: 6:30 AM – 7:00 AM
  Symposium Time: 7:00 AM - 8:45 AM
  Location: E353AB

Clinicians continue to be challenged to recognize and successfully treat serious infections due to MRSA. Longstanding principles of therapy are being re-examined in the face of new concepts in antibiotic susceptibility testing. This symposium is designed to provide updated information about the epidemiology and clinical syndromes associated with infections due to CA-MRSA. Treatment approaches will be discussed with emphasis on the increasing importance of microbiologic testing of Staphylococcus aureus isolates in order to optimize therapy.

Registration: On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

HIV Entry and Tropism: New Strategies for Effective Antiretroviral Therapy

 Meal/Reception Time: 6:30 AM – 7:00 AM
  Symposium Time: 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
  Location: E450A

Participants in this event will acquire state-of-the-art knowledge regarding HIV entry and tropism, and therepeutic strategies designed to target these mechanisms.

Registration: Please register online at clinicaloptions.com/tropism. On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Pfizer, Inc./Monogram Biosciences/Roche Laboratories, Inc.

Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?

 Meal/Reception Time: 6:30 AM - 7:00 AM
  Symposium Time: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
  Location: E353C

This symposium provides a forum for interaction between experts in the field of seasonal and pandemic influenza and physicians and other health care professionals who are actively managing diverse populations. All health care professionals require seasonally updated information on the epidemiology, diagnosis, management, and prevention of influenza. Preparation for flu season includes an understanding of current epidemiological trends, immunization efforts, and treatment options. This understanding will also aid in influenza pandemic preparedness in the event of an outbreak.

Registration: Register online at http://www.regonline.com/144197, or call Laura Cortese at (646) 674-1820, X271, between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Gilead Sciences Medical Affairs/Roche Laboratories, Inc.

Title

Sponsoring Company

Antifungal Agents in the Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Hematology-Oncology Patients

 Meal/Reception Time: 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
  Location: E354B

The goal of this activity is to provide infectious disease physicians and health care professionals who care for hematology-oncology patients information on available agents and strategies for the management of invasive fungal infections. There is an increase in the incidence of invasive fungal infections due primarily to the increase in the number of immunocompromised and immunosuppressed patients such as those undergoing chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, or long-term steroid therapy. A rise in infection with less commonly observed pathogens, the emergence of resistance to routine therapeutic agents, and comorbidities in this patient population complicate matters. There is a need for clinicians and other health care professionals to identify those patients most at risk for invasive fungal infections, to understand treatment options available for invasive fungal infections, and to consider the benefits and risks associated with prophylaxis.

Registration: To reserve space, please register online at http://www.curatiocme.com/ICAAC2007. Onsite registration will be accepted.

Schering-Plough

Treat or No Treat: A Case-Based Discussion of Issues Affecting the Management of HIV

 Meal/Reception Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  Symposium Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  Location: E450A

The decision whether or not to treat has many variables, including current disease status, patient history, lifestyle issues, the presence of comorbidities or coinfections, and, among treatment-experienced patients considering a reinitiation, resistance profiles and available therapeutic options are major considerations as well. For some, the decision whether or not to treat comes only after the disease has progressed to AIDS, creating a much more difficult situation to manage from both the patient’s and the clinician’s point of view. This educational activity will utilize a case-based approach to review important considerations that factor into the decision to test and to initiate therapy in various settings.

Registration: To register online please go to www.regonline.com/145488.

On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits, and will be held from 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM prior to the symposium.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Monogram Biosciences

Resistance Wars II: Emerging Strategies for Fighting Infection

 Symposium Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  Location: E353AB

Prevention of antimicrobial resistance requires a multifaceted approach. Currently, new strategies and approaches to prevent and treat resistance are emerging. This satellite symposium will provide clinicians with comprehensive approaches for both avoiding and managing resistant infections via case-based examples. Topics of discussion, presented by expert faculty, will include pneumonia, complicated skin, and intra-abdominal infections. An interactive Question & Answer session will complete this dynamic, evidence-based program.

Registration: On-site registration will be held from 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM prior to the symposium.

Ortho-McNeil, Inc.

Drug Resistant CAP Current & Future Treatments: Best Practice for Prevention & Management

 Meal/Reception Time: 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
  Location: E354A

The satellite symposium will include a global perspective from experts on the Community acquired Pneumonia (CAP) and Resistance Satellite Symposium panel who will identify and discuss the latest challenges, research, and innovative approaches to treatment. Outcomes will be measured, possibly using a contract for change approach, to evaluate the level of improved patient care through physicians' acquisition, retention, and application of knowledge.

Registration: To register go to www.conexushealth.com/continuing_education/asmcap2007.html.

On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

CME-Accredited by ASM; Supported by Advanced Life Sciences

Title

Sponsoring Company

Staphylococcus aureus:  A Dynamic and Persistent Pathogen

 Symposium Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  Location: E450A

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections continue to increase in hospitals and in the community. Presently 40 percent of cases of SA are resistant to methicillin and other antibiotics. The constantly evolving genetic patterns of MRSA organisms result in treatment challenges by rendering available antibiotics ineffective. New analyses of resistance patterns, mechanisms of action and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of standard, new and investigational therapies identify treatment barriers and solutions that may improve outcomes. The symposium will make an important contribution to the understanding and appropriate treatment of serious infections in the hospital.

Registration: On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

Reducing the Global Burden of HPV-Related Disease:  Cervical Cancer and Beyond

 Meal/Reception Time: 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
  Location: E353AB

Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common newly acquired sexually transmitted infection in the United States, is best known as the necessary cause of cervical cancer and genital warts. In addition to cervical cancer, however, high-risk, oncogenic HPV types, are implicated in anal cancers , penile cancers, and squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, while the low-risk HPV types most commonly associated with genital warts also cause low-grade anogenital dysplasias and all recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a rare and potentially life-threatening complication of vertical HPV transmission. Together, these noncervical, HPV-associated diseases comprise a significant health care burden. Two vaccines have been developed to prevent infection with HPV and thus HPV-associated disease. Both vaccines have demonstrated lasting efficacy against infection and cervical HPV-associated disease in women, and the quadrivalent vaccine has demonstrated immunogenicity in men. This symposium will review the epidemiology and pathogenesis of HPV, the epidemiology of lesser-known HPV-associated diseases, and the use of the HPV vaccines to prevent HPV-related diseases beyond cervical cancer.

Registration: To register, please visit www.hpvcme.org.
For more information, please e-mail HPVsymposia@scimedny.com or call 646-416-5640.

Merck & Co., Inc.

Future of the AIDS Epidemic: The Threat of Transmitted Drug Resistance

 Meal/Reception Time: 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
  Location: E354A

The symposium will include a global perspective from HIV experts on the HIV-DRI panel who will identify and discuss the latest challenges, research, and innovative approaches to antiretroviral therapy as a roundtable event. The Roundtable Consensus Conference (June 2007) will form the basis of this focused ASM CME-accredited satellite symposium at the 47th ICAAC. Outcomes will be measured, possibly using a contract for change approach, to evaluate the level of improved patient care through physicians' acquisition, retention, and application of knowledge.

Registration: To register, go to www.hiv-dri.org/icaacreg.
On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

CME-Accredited by ASM; Supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutials, Inc.

Title

Sponsoring Company

Treatment of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Other Resistant Infections: An Expert Debate

 Meal/Reception Time: 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  Symposium Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
  Location: E354B

The interactive live symposium will highlight methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other resistant cSSSi and HAP/VAP infections, and will compare and contrast conventional and emerging antimicrobial therapies. Infectious disease physicians have come to realize that serious, life-threatening infections, such as cSSSIs and HAP/VAP, particularly with highly resistant bacterial strains, continue to result in unacceptably high levels of morbidity and mortality. To help stem the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with MRSA and other resistant bacterial infections, infectious disease specialists require education on the types of infections, potential pathogens involved, current treatment guidelines and the role of newer antimicrobial agents in the management of MRSA and other resistant bacterial infections. Lastly, “pathogen-focused therapy” is a new concept which uses culture data and clinical findings to define and adjust a patient’s antibiotic therapy. Symposium faculty will address the shifting epidemiology of MRSA and other resistant bacterial infections, guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of cSSSi and HAP/VAP infections, and the use of newer antimicrobial therapies in the prevention and treatment of these serious, life-threatening infections.

Registration: On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Arpida LTD

Therapeutic Challenges to Managing Candidemia

 Symposium Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  Location: E353AB

Invasive fungal infections increasingly complicate efforts to obtain positive outcomes when managing immunosuppressed patients and others with HIV/AIDS, severe burns, diabetes, and those with in-dwelling catheters. Mortality rates continue to rise and fungal infections are now the seventh leading cause of infectious disease-related deaths. Recently, there has been a shift in Candida species associated with these infections as well as an increase in resistant strains. Information regarding these current changes in epidemiology, how to make an early diagnosis, and new treatment options available to treat these infections is needed to improve treatment strategies and ultimately, survival.

Registration: On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

Astellas Pharma US, Inc.

Pharmacogenetic Testing: The New Frontier in HIV Management

 Symposium Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  Location: E354A

Genetic testing studies have identified the potential to improve future HIV management by uncovering undetected cases of HIV which may be missed by routine tests which detect antibodies that require several weeks to develop; once patients enter therapy, their regimens may be guided by specialized testing to identify existing patterns of resistance and prediction of efficacy. Despite our current best efforts, the outcome of drug therapy is often unpredictable, ranging from beneficial effects, to lack of efficacy, to serious adverse effects. Variations in single genes are well-recognized as a cause of such unpredictability and again highlight the growing importance of considering genetic guidance as part of the diagnosis and treatment process. Variations in response to therapy may involve genes controlling drug metabolism, drug transport, disease susceptibility, or drug targets. Understanding genomic variability in patients and drug mechanisms holds the promise of improving new drug development and response to currently available drugs--ultimately individualizing the selection of appropriate drugs and dosages for individual patients.

Registration: Register by calling 609-919-6348.
On-site registration will be accommodated as space permits.

GlaxoSmithKline