AstraZeneca site extends breast cancer message

Medical Marketing and Media, Nov 2005 by McGuire, Stephen

ASTRAZENECA has launched a new interactive Web site as part of a national awareness campaign to encourage consumers to learn more about the risk of breast cancer and its recurrence.

The site, www.getbcfacts.com, was designed in conjunction with the healthcare agency Medical Broadcasting Company, and coincides with an unbranded network and cable TV campaign introduced in early October.

The goal of the campaign, according to AstraZeneca oncology PR manager Katie Neff, is to open up the discussion of recurrence and compliance in a non-threatening way. "Most breast cancer education in the past has focused on early detection," Neff said. "With [this site] we are extending our focus so that patients are educated about their risk of recurrence."

AstraZeneca markets the breast cancer medications Faslodex, Nolvadex and Arimidex in the U.S., and the company is the founder and sole funder of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), now in its 21st year. The primary objective of NBCAM is to educate women about the importance of detecting the disease in its earliest stages through mammography.

The program works through a nationwide education campaign aimed at consumers, state and federal governments, healthcare professionals, employers, ethnic groups and women of all ages.

-Stephen McGuire