US approves new drug that extends life expectancy in pancreatic cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug daraxonrasib for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Developed by Revolution Medicines and sold under the brand name Rasonque, the drug is expected to offer a new option for pancreatic cancer, which is known as one of the most difficult cancers to treat.

According to the FDA's assessment, the drug provided a significant increase in the average life expectancy of patients in clinical trials. Among 500 patients who participated in the advanced-stage clinical study, the average survival time for those taking daraxonrasib in pill form daily was measured at 13.2 months. In the group receiving chemotherapy, this duration remained at 6.6 months.

Daraxonrasib targets the mutated KRAS gene found in more than 90 percent of pancreatic tumors. By suppressing the effect of this gene, which triggers cancer development, the goal is to slow the progression and spread of the tumor.

The FDA stated that the drug offers a “critical and new option for patients facing an extremely difficult and hard-to-treat type of cancer.” The agency had granted daraxonrasib “Breakthrough Therapy” status under its accelerated assessment program in 2025.

Angelo de Claro, Director of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence, stated that the drug provided unprecedented results in an area with unmet medical needs, noting that the approval was granted six months early, before the regulatory deadline.

Because pancreatic cancer is often detected at a late stage, treatment options remain limited. According to data from the American Cancer Society, approximately 67 thousand people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the US each year. This type of cancer has one of the highest mortality rates among major cancers.

In its statement, the FDA noted that the most common side effects of the treatment were skin rash, diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. Serious side effects were observed in approximately 44 percent of patients using daraxonrasib in the trial; this rate was recorded at 57.5 percent in the chemotherapy group.

It was reported that former US Senator Ben Sasse, who announced in December that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, was among the patients participating in the clinical trial of the drug and said that the treatment helped shrink his tumors.