A new pill has shown promise in helping patients with advanced pancreatic cancer live longer, according to results from a recent study. The drug, named daraxonrasib, targets a mutated protein responsible for tumor growth in over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. This protein, part of the KRAS gene family, has long been considered untreatable.
Dr. Zev Wainberg from the University of California, Los Angeles highlighted that while the pill does not cure the cancer, it marks a significant progress. The study involved 500 participants whose metastatic disease no longer responded to previous treatments. Patients receiving daraxonrasib had a median survival of 13.2 months, compared to 6.7 months for those who received chemotherapy. These results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and unveiled at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.
“Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying,” expressed Dr. Rachna Shroff from the University of Arizona Cancer Center, moved by the study outcomes.
She noted the patients on daraxonrasib reported less pain and improved quality of life, as their tumors shrank. Many participants continued using the drug beyond the analysis period, suggesting an expanding survival gap. Dr. Brian Wolpin from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute suggested that daraxonrasib could become a new standard for those with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Though some side effects were noted, such as severe rashes and mouth sores, the pill’s benefits outweighed these challenges for many recipients. Revolution Medicines, the drug’s manufacturer, funded the study, and the FDA is speeding up its review. The agency is also enabling expanded access, allowing certain patients to receive treatment before its official approval.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers due to late detection. The American Cancer Society projects 67,000 new cases and over 52,000 related deaths in the U.S. this year, with a five-year survival rate of 13%. Researchers are hopeful that daraxonrasib will pave the way for more effective treatments, particularly with numerous experimental drugs currently under development.
Revolution Medicines has crafted the drug to bind the KRAS mutations with a molecular glue, thereby tackling a previously undruggable challenge. Dr. Andrew Coveler from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center remarked that this drug operates in a markedly different manner than existing treatments. Further investigations will aim to determine its efficacy on specific KRAS subtypes and explore vaccines to prevent recurrence post-surgery.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department, backed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is responsible for this information.
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