FDA Approves Breakthrough Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved daraxonrasib, a new treatment for pancreatic cancer that significantly extended patients’ lives in a late-stage clinical trial.

The drug, sold under the brand name Rasonque and made by Revolution Medicines, was tested in about 500 patients. Those who took the daily pill lived an average of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months for patients who received chemotherapy.

Daraxonrasib targets a mutated gene called KRAS, which is found in more than 90% of pancreatic tumors and helps cancer cells grow and spread. The FDA called the drug a “critical new option” for patients battling one of the most difficult cancers to treat.