FDA Green‑Lights New Drug That Almost Doubles Pancreatic Cancer Survival
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a once‑daily pill named Rasonque (daraxonrasib), manufactured by Revolution Medicines, after a late‑stage clinical trial showed it nearly doubled overall survival for patients with one of the deadliest cancers.
The study of 500 patients compared the new drug to standard chemotherapy. Those on Rasonque lived an average of 13.2 months, roughly twice the 6.6 months seen with chemotherapy, the FDA said. The breakthrough therapy targets the mutated KRAS gene, which drives growth in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors.
Side‑effect data indicate that 44% of patients experienced severe reactions, lower than the 57.5% seen with chemo. Rash, diarrhea, nausea and fatigue were the most common.
Ben Sasse, a former U.S. Senator diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, is in a clinical trial for the medication and reports that the pills have shrunk his tumors.
With roughly 67,000 new diagnoses in the U.S. each year and an exceptionally high mortality rate, the drug’s approval is a significant step forward.
