New Cancer Treatment Approves Near-Doubling of Survival Time for Patients

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment for pancreatic cancer that nearly doubles the overall survival time for patients.

Daraxonrasib, sold under the brand name Rasonque, was found to provide a critical new option for those facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer. For related coverage, explore our detailed analysis on Technology and Digital Systems.

FDA Approval and Clinical Trial Results

A late-stage clinical trial with 500 patients found that those who took the daily pill had an average survival time of 13.2 months, compared to 6.6 months for those on chemotherapy.

The FDA stated the drug provided a critical new option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer.

Each year, roughly 67,000 people in the US are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

Pancreatic Cancer Statistics and Challenges

Pancreatic cancer is often spotted late and is notoriously difficult to treat. More than half of those with pancreatic cancer die within three months of diagnosis.

The most common side effects of the treatment were rash, diarrhoea, nausea, fatigue and vomiting, the FDA stated. About 44% of patients on daraxonrasib experienced severe side effects, compared to 57.5% treated with chemotherapy in the trial.

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Former US Senator Ben Sasse, who confirmed in December he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, is in a clinical trial for the drug and has stated it has helped shrink his tumours.

Daraxonrasib was approved six months ahead of the regulatory deadline because it showed unprecedented results in an area of high unmet need, according to Angelo de Claro, director of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence.

Daily pill doubles survival time for pancreatic cancer patients

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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment for pancreatic cancer that, in clinical trials, nearly doubled the overall survival time for patients.

The drug, daraxonrasib, sold under the brand name Rasonque and manufactured A late-stage clinical trial with 500 patients found those who took the daily pill had an average survival time of 13.2 months, compared to 6.6 months for those on chemotherapy.

The FDA stated the drug provided a "critical new option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer".