A new drug called daraxonrasib may be changing the way doctors treat pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is often caused by changes in a gene called KRAS. These changes keep sending signals that make cancer cells grow and spread. More than 90% of cases have KRAS mutations. For many years, scientists thought these mutations could not be treated with drugs.
Daraxonrasib is designed to block those KRAS signals directly.
In clinical studies, people with advanced stage 4 pancreatic cancer saw their disease remain stable for an average of more than 8.5 months, compared with just a few months on standard chemotherapy. Some patients reported feeling better only days after beginning the treatment, and many patients had fewer problems than they did with chemotherapy.
This drug may work on many different KRAS mutations, not just one type. Scientists also hope this will make it harder for the cancer to resist the treatment.
Because early results are strong, the FDA gave daraxonrasib “Breakthrough Therapy” status to help speed up testing and review.
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