AstraZeneca (AZ) has partnered with US oncology publishers Oncology Specialty Group to launch a new video portal for US healthcare professionals interested in breast cancer.

The Bridging the Gap portal is hosted within Oncology Specialty Group's OncLive.com website and features a series of testimonials from patients with metastatic breast cancer.

The aim of AZ's 'webisodes' is “help physicians and other healthcare professionals bridge the gap that may exist between them and their patients so that patients get the information they need”, the site explains.

The videos feature women talking about how healthcare professionals can best communicate with other patients like themselves, from developing a rapport to delivering the diagnosis to communicating between visits.

“From receiving a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer to working as a team with oncologists, the women provide perspective on how key conversations have played a role in their own treatment journey,” AZ's global PR director Michele Meixell explained.

However, the company may be missing a trick, perhaps driven by regulatory caution, by not following the footsteps of rivals like Roche and Novartis in collecting its patient stories into a dedicated YouTube playlist.

Nevertheless, AZ's partnership with Oncology Specialty Group should give it a more targeted focus to its online video marketing effort.

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