Pancreatic cancer pill wins US approval after extending survival

A daily pill that nearly doubled median survival in a pancreatic cancer trial has been approved in the United States.

Daraxonrasib, sold as Rasonque, blocks RAS proteins that help drive tumour growth. The FDA approved it on 26 August for adults with pancreatic adenocarcinoma that has spread, after previous systemic treatment or when treatment with multiple drugs is unsuitable.

In the 500-patient trial, people whose cancer had progressed after earlier treatment lived a median 13.2 months with daraxonrasib, compared with 6.7 months on standard chemotherapy. Median means half lived longer and half less; it isn’t an individual prediction.

Revolution Medicines also reports that patients maintained their quality of life for longer before it deteriorated. That matters alongside extra time, particularly for a disease with few effective treatments.

There are serious limits. This is not a cure, and the medicine can cause significant side effects, including skin reactions and diarrhoea. Approval also doesn’t mean worldwide access: the company says it remains investigational outside the US. It does give eligible patients a new, evidence-backed option.