Revolution Medicines' drug daraxonrasib doubles pancreatic cancer survival

An experimental oral therapy targeting KRAS mutations has shown a marked improvement for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. In a study involving several hundred participants, the drug daraxonrasib roughly doubled overall survival compared with standard chemotherapy and cut the risk of death by about 60%.

The treatment also slowed tumor progression in roughly one‑third of patients, while about 86% experienced a manageable skin rash. Only 1.2% discontinued the trial because of side effects, compared with over 11% on chemotherapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted expanded access to the drug on May 1 and plans a rapid review. Researchers note that further clinical trials are required before the therapy becomes widely available, but the results represent a significant step forward against a cancer that traditionally has a five‑year survival rate of less than 5%.