Daily pill daraxonrasib nearly doubles survival in advanced pancreatic cancer trial
The Story
A daily experimental pill has shown the ability to nearly double survival time for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, according to clinical trial results presented Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. The drug, daraxonrasib, targets a mutated protein called Kras that fuels more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. In a randomized trial of 500 patients whose cancer had spread and stopped responding to prior treatment, those taking the pill lived a median of 13.2 months compared with about 6.6 to 6.7 months for those receiving chemotherapy. Researchers and cancer specialists not involved in the trial described the results as a major breakthrough for a cancer that has long lacked effective treatment options. Side effects were generally milder than chemotherapy, though some patients experienced rash and mouth sores. The findings were simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Key Facts
- The drug daraxonrasib is taken daily as a pill and targets the Kras protein mutation found in over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases.
- In a trial of 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, daraxonrasib nearly doubled median survival: 13.2 months vs. 6.6 to 6.7 months for chemotherapy.
- The results were presented at the ASCO annual meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
- Side effects were reported as less severe than chemotherapy, with rash and mouth sores being the most common.
- The trial was funded by Revolution Medicines, the drug’s manufacturer.
- Dr. Rachna Shroff of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, who was not involved, said she cried upon seeing the results and called the study “landscape-changing.”
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified across sources.
Still Unclear
- Dr. Julie Gralow of ASCO called the drug a “gamechanger” and a “grand slam” (single-source claim from The Guardian).
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to expedite review of daraxonrasib and has approved “expanded access” for certain patients (single-source claim from NPR).
- Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse described using the drug on “60 Minutes” (single-source claim from NPR).
- UK-based charities Pancreatic Cancer Action and Pancreatic Cancer UK issued statements of encouragement (single-source claim from The Guardian).
- Questions none of the sources answer: What will daraxonrasib cost if approved? How long do patients typically remain on the drug before its effects wane? Will the drug be tested earlier in the disease or as a neoadjuvant therapy?
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the sources.
Key Figures
Dr. Rachna Shroff (University of Arizona Cancer Center), Dr. Zev Wainberg (UCLA), Dr. Brian Wolpin (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Dr. Andrew Coveler (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center), Dr. Julie Gralow (ASCO), Paula Hanford (Pancreatic Cancer Action), Anna Jewell (Pancreatic Cancer UK)
Sources: The Guardian, NPR
