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CPD

The COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: How Do They Work?

  • Authors: George Kassianos, CBE, MD (Hons), FRCGP; Stefaan De Smedt, PhD
  • CPD Released: 2/4/2022
  • THIS ACTIVITY HAS EXPIRED FOR CREDIT
  • Valid for credit through: 2/4/2023, 11:59 PM EST
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Target Audience and Goal Statement

This activity is intended for a non-US audience of primary care physicians, infectious diseases specialists, pediatricians, pharmacists, and nurses.

The goal of this activity is to increase knowledge regarding the pathology of SARS-CoV-2, the scientific basis for the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, and the key variances between the different COVID-19 vaccine platforms.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will:

  • Have increased knowledge regarding the
    • Biology of SARS coronaviruses
    • Scientific basis for mRNA vaccines
    • Key differences between mRNA vaccines and other vaccine platforms


Disclosures

WebMD Global requires every individual in a position to control educational content to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies that have occurred within the past 24 months. Ineligible companies are organizations whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

All relevant financial relationships for anyone with the ability to control the content of this educational activity are listed below and have been mitigated. Others involved in the planning of this activity have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosures for additional planners can be found here.


Moderator

  • George Kassianos, CBE, MD (Hons), FRCGP

    General Practitioner
    National Immunization Lead
    Royal College of General Practitioners
    President
    British Global and Travel Health Association
    London, United Kingdom

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: George Kassianos, CBE, MD (Hons), FRCGP, has no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

  • Stefaan De Smedt, PhD

    Professor in Physical Pharmacy and Biopharmacy
    Ghent University
    Head of the Ghent Research Group on Nanomedicines
    Ghent, Belgium

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Stefaan De Smedt, PhD, has no relevant financial relationships.

Steering Committee

  • Paolo Bonanni, MD

    Professor of Hygiene​
    Faculty of Medicine​
    Director​
    Department of Health Sciences​
    University of Florence​
    Florence, Italy

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Paolo Bonanni, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
    Served as an advisor or consultant for: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Pfizer Inc.; Sanofi Pasteur; Seqirus
    Served as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: GlaxoSmithKline; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp; Pfizer Inc.; Sanofi Pasteur; Seqirus
    Received grants for clinical research from: GlaxoSmithKline; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Pfizer Inc.; Sanofi Pasteur; Seqirus

  • Federico Martinón-Torres, MD, PhD

    Head of Pediatrics
    Director of Translational Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases
    Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago
    Associate Professor in Pediatrics
    University of Santiago de Compostela
    Galicia, Spain

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Federico Martinón-Torres, MD, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
    Served as an advisor or consultant for: Ablynx; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; Biofabri; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Merck & Co., Inc.; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Novavax, Inc.; Pfizer Inc.; Roche; Sanofi Pasteur; Seqirus
    Served as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Ablynx; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; Biofabri; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Merck & Co., Inc.; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Novavax, Inc.; Pfizer Inc.; Roche; Sanofi Pasteur; Seqirus
    Received grants for clinical research from: GlaxoSmithKline; Merck & Co., Inc./Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Pfizer Inc.
    Other – PI on clinical trials: Abbott Laboratories; Ablynx; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; GlaxoSmithKline; Janssen Pharmaceuticals; MedImmune Inc.; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; Roche; Sanofi Pasteur; Seqirus 

  • George Kassianos, CBE, MD (Hons), FRCGP

    As stated above

  • Ravindra Gupta, MD, PhD

    Professor of Clinical Microbiology
    Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease
    University of Cambridge
    Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Ravindra Gupta, MD, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
    Served as an advisor or consultant for: GlaxoSmithKline; ViiV Healthcare
    Served as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.

  • Barbara Rath, MD, PhD

    Co-Founder and Chair
    The Vienna Vaccine Safety Initiative
    Research Director, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté
    Besançon, France

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Barbara Rath, MD, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
    Served as an advisor or consultant for: Atriva; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; GlaxoSmithKline; Roche

  • Karine Lacombe, MD, PhD

    Professor of Infectious Diseases 
    Sorbonne University  
    Head of Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department 
    Saint-Antoine Hospital 
    Inserm, Institut Pierre Louis de Santé Publique 
    Paris, France 

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Karine Lacombe, MD, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
    Served as an advisor or consultant for: Chiesi Pharmaceuticals; GlaxoSmithKline; Merck; Sobi; SpikImm

  • Saul N. Faust, FRCPCH, PhD

    Professor of Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases 
    Director 
    NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility 
    University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust  
    and University of Southampton 
    Southampton, United Kingdom 

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Saul N. Faust, FRCPCH, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
    Served as an advisor or consultant for: GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; Merck; Pfizer Inc.; Sanofi; Seqirus
    Served as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for: Johnson & Johnson; Pfizer Inc.
    Received grants for clinical research from:  AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; Merck; Pfizer Inc.; Sanofi; Valneva

  • Philip Haaf, MD

    Department of Cardiology
    Cardiovascular Research Institute Basel
    University Hospital Basel
    Basel, Switzerland

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Philip Haaf, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Editors

  • Shanthi Voorn, PhD

    Medical Education Director, WebMD Global, LLC

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Shanthi Voorn, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

  • Diana Lucifero, PhD

    Scientific Content Manager, WebMD Global, LLC

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Diana Lucifero, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Compliance Reviewer

  • Susan L. Smith, MN, PhD

    Associate Director, Accreditation and Compliance

    Disclosures

    Disclosure: Susan L. Smith, MN, PhD, has no relevant financial relationships.

Peer Reviewer

This activity has been peer reviewed and the reviewer has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.


Accreditation Statements

    For Physicians

  • The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (FPM) has reviewed and approved the content of this educational activity and allocated it 0.50 continuing professional development credits (CPD).

    Contact WebMD Global

For questions regarding the content of this activity, contact the accredited provider for this CME/CE activity noted above. For technical assistance, contact [email protected]


Instructions for Participation and Credit

There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this online educational activity. For information about your eligibility to claim credit, please consult your professional licensing board.

This activity is designed to be completed within the time designated on the title page; physicians should claim only those credits that reflect the time actually spent participating in the activity. To successfully earn credit, participants must complete the activity online during the credit eligibility period that is noted on the title page.

Follow these steps to claim a credit certificate for completing this activity:

  1. Read the information provided on the title page regarding the target audience, learning objectives, and author disclosures, read and study the activity content and then complete the post-test questions. If you earn a passing score on the post-test and we have determined based on your registration profile that you may be eligible to claim CPD credit for completing this activity, we will issue you a CPD credit certificate.
  2. Once your CPD credit certificate has been issued, you may view and print the certificate from your CME/CE Tracker. CPD credits will be tallied in your CME/CE Tracker and archived for 6 years; at any point within this time period you can print out the tally as well as the certificates by accessing "Edit Your Profile" at the top of the Medscape Education homepage.

We encourage you to complete an Activity Evaluation to provide feedback for future programming.

You may now view or print the certificate from your CME/CE Tracker. You may print the certificate but you cannot alter it. Credits will be tallied in your CME/CE Tracker and archived for 6 years; at any point within this time period you can print out the tally as well as the certificates by accessing "Edit Your Profile" at the top of your Medscape homepage.

*The credit that you receive is based on your user profile.

CPD

The COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines: How Do They Work?

Authors: George Kassianos, CBE, MD (Hons), FRCGP; Stefaan De Smedt, PhDFaculty and Disclosures
THIS ACTIVITY HAS EXPIRED FOR CREDIT

CPD Released: 2/4/2022

Valid for credit through: 2/4/2023, 11:59 PM EST

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Note: The information on the coronavirus outbreak is continually evolving. The content within this activity serves as a historical reference to the information that was available at the time of this publication. We continue to add to the collection of activities on this subject as new information becomes available. It is the policy of Medscape Education to avoid the mention of brand names or specific manufacturers in accredited educational activities. However, manufacturer names related to the approved COVID-19 vaccines are provided in this activity in an effort to promote clarity. The use of manufacturer names should not be viewed as an endorsement by Medscape of any specific product or manufacturer.  

Educational Impact Challenge

The goal of this activity is to increase knowledge regarding the pathology of SARS-CoV-2, the scientific basis for the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines, and the key variances between the different COVID-19 vaccine platforms.

Before you begin this activity, please assess your clinical knowledge by completing this brief survey. Answering these questions again after the activity will allow you to see what you learned and to compare your answers with those of your peers.

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