27.08.2026 07:40
The FDA has approved a pancreatic cancer drug called daraxonrasib, which targets the KRAS gene and nearly doubled patient survival in clinical trials. The pill form of the drug achieved 13.2 months of survival in a 500-patient study, while chemotherapy remained at 6.6 months.
The drug daraxonrasib, produced by Revolution Medicines and sold under the brand name Rasonque, is predicted to be a "breakthrough development" in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest types of cancer.
In an advanced-stage clinical trial involving 500 patients, it was found that patients who took the pill form of the drug daily had an average survival time of 13.2 months, while patients receiving chemotherapy had an average survival time of 6.6 months.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug provides "a critical and new option for patients facing an extremely difficult and hard-to-treat type of cancer."
Daraksonrasib helps prevent the spread of cancer by targeting and disabling the mutated KRAS gene, which is found in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors and triggers cancer development.
SURVIVAL RATE IN PANCREATIC CANCER IS LOW
According to data from the American Cancer Society, approximately 67,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S. each year. Pancreatic cancer is one of the diseases with the highest mortality rate among all major cancer types.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late and is very difficult to treat. More than half of people with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis.
In 2025, the FDA granted the drug "Breakthrough Therapy" status, which aims to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of serious diseases and enables an accelerated review process.
FDA APPROVAL SIX MONTHS EARLY
Angelo de Claro, Director of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence, said the FDA approved the drug six months early, without waiting for the regulatory deadline, because the drug "produced unprecedented results in an area of unmet medical need."
According to the FDA's statement, the most common side effects of the treatment include skin rash, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting.
In the clinical trial, approximately 44% of patients using daraksonrasib experienced serious side effects, while this rate was recorded as 57.5% in patients treated with chemotherapy.
FORMER SENATOR BEN SASSE ALSO JOINED THE CLINICAL TRIAL
Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, who announced in December that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, said he was among the patients who participated in the drug's clinical trial and that the drug helped shrink his tumors.