Experimental Pill Daraxonrasib Nearly Doubles Survival in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Trial

A new experimental pill called daraxonrasib has shown promising results in extending survival for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, nearly doubling survival time in clinical trials. The drug blocks a mutated protein (KRAS) that drives tumor growth in over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases, a target that had been considered undruggable for decades, according to multiple outlets including CNBC and the Chicago Tribune.

In the trial, patients taking the daily pill lived a median of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for those on chemotherapy, with fewer severe side effects, CNBC reported. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting, according to two separate reports from bit.ly.

Experts at the world's largest cancer conference have hailed the drug as a 'gamechanger' and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades, Hacker News reported.

Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late, with more than half of patients only discovering it after it has spread, and current treatment options are extremely limited, Hacker News noted. The drug's ability to target the KRAS mutation, which fuels tumor growth in the vast majority of cases, marks a significant step forward for one of the deadliest cancers, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Researchers emphasized that daraxonrasib is not a cure and its effects eventually wane, but it represents a major advance for a disease with few treatment options, according to bit.ly. The drug works by blocking a mutated protein that had eluded treatment for decades, the Chicago Tribune added.