New Drug Doubles Survival in Pancreatic Cancer Trials

An experimental drug, daraxonrasib, developed by Revolution Medicines, has demonstrated a significant increase in survival time for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. In clinical trials, the drug nearly doubled the median overall survival compared to standard chemotherapy.

This promising development, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, stems from a first-in-human trial where 168 patients with previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma received daraxonrasib. While 96% of participants experienced treatment-related adverse side effects, the majority were mild, such as rash, nausea, and diarrhea, and considered manageable.

Daraxonrasib targets specific RAS tumor gene mutations, which are found in approximately 90% of pancreatic cancers and fuel cancer cell division. This makes it a potential breakthrough, as similar targeted drugs are already used for lung and colorectal cancers.

A late-stage trial involving 500 patients is currently comparing daraxonrasib to usual second-line chemotherapy. Initial results from this trial indicate a median overall survival of 13.2 months with daraxonrasib, significantly higher than the 6.7 months seen with standard chemotherapy.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted early access to daraxonrasib, allowing patients to receive the experimental treatment outside of clinical trials before its official approval. Researchers believe this drug could herald a new era in pancreatic cancer treatment.