USA Approves Drug That Doubles Survival in Pancreatic Cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for pancreatic cancer that nearly doubled patients' survival time in clinical trials, according to the BBC.

The drug, called daraxonrasib and marketed under the name Rasonque, is manufactured by Revolution Medicines and is considered a significant breakthrough in the treatment of one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.

What the clinical trial showed

In an advanced study conducted on 500 patients, those who took the pill daily had a median survival of 13.2 months, compared with just 6.7 months for those treated with conventional chemotherapy. The FDA described the drug as "a new critical option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer".

Mechanism of action

Daraxonrasib works by blocking the mutated KRAS gene, which is present in more than 90% of pancreatic tumours and is responsible for driving cancer growth. Specialists consider blocking this mutation one of the greatest challenges in oncology, making this drug a notable advance.

A cancer that is difficult to detect and treat

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 67,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the USA, a disease with the highest mortality rate of all major cancer types. Diagnosis is usually made late, and more than half of patients die within the first three months of detection.

Accelerated FDA approval

In 2025, the FDA granted the drug "Breakthrough Therapy" designation, reserved for treatments targeting serious illnesses that require expedited evaluation. Final approval came six months ahead of the standard regulatory deadline. Angelo de Claro, director of the agency's Oncology Centre of Excellence, explained that the drug "has shown unprecedented results in an area with high unmet needs".

Side effects and safety

The most commonly reported side effects include skin rashes, diarrhoea, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. The FDA noted that 44% of patients treated with daraxonrasib experienced severe adverse reactions, compared with 57.5% of those who underwent standard chemotherapy — a safety profile considered superior to that of conventional treatment.

The case of former senator Ben Sasse

Former US senator Ben Sasse, diagnosed in December with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, is participating in a clinical trial involving this drug. He has reported that the treatment reduced his tumours, providing a concrete example of the effects the new drug can have in patients at advanced stages of the disease.