The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved a treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer, offering new life-extending care for patients with one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. The once-daily pill called daraxonrasib, manufactured by Revolution Medicines, will be sold under the brand name Rasonque. It was approved for patients who have already tried other lines of therapy, or are not candidates for initial chemotherapy. The drug is not a cure, but it’s the first real option for extending the life of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The aggressive disease is typically detected late, and there have been historically limited treatment options that do little to extend a patient’s life. The 5-year survival rate is only about 8%. Daraxonrasib attacks the underlying genetic causes of pancreatic cancer by targeting a group of proteins called RAS, which, when mutated, are a key driver of tumor growth in most patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The trial found that daraxonrasib reduced the risk of death by 60% compared to chemotherapy. Doctors who treat pancreatic cancer hope the drug may usher in more new options for other forms of cancer, with scores of experimental drugs in development.
