New pill becomes game changer for pancreatic cancer, doubles survival time

A new pill could change the way doctors treat pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer in the world.

Researchers have found that the drug, called daraxonrasib, nearly doubled survival time in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer whose disease had continued to progress despite chemotherapy.

Experts are calling the results a potential "game changer" for a cancer that has long been difficult to treat.

The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting and come from a global clinical trial involving 500 patients across North America, Europe and Asia.

Patients who received the once-daily pill survived for an average of 13.2 months, compared with 6.6 months for those treated with standard chemotherapy. The drug also reduced the overall risk of death by 60%.

Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage because symptoms can be difficult to spot early. More than half of patients die within three months of diagnosis, and only about 3% of people with cancer that has spread to other organs survive for five years.

HOW DOES THE GAME-CHANGER PILL



WORK

Daraxonrasib works by targeting a mutated version of the KRAS gene, which is found in more than 90% of pancreatic tumours and plays a major role in driving cancer growth. The drug belongs to a new class of medicines known as RAS(ON) inhibitors.

The trial showed that the treatment halted or reversed tumour growth in nearly one-third of patients, compared with just 10% of those receiving chemotherapy. Tumours shrank or disappeared in about 32% of patients on the new drug.

Researchers also reported fewer severe side effects. Serious or life-threatening side effects occurred in 43.6% of patients taking daraxonrasib, compared with 57.5% of those on chemotherapy. The most common side effects included rash, nausea, diarrhoea and mouth sores.

Dr. Brian Wolpin of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who led the study, said the findings could change how doctors and patients think about pancreatic cancer treatment. Some patients even reported improvements in daily life, with one former golfer returning to the sport after just a month on the drug.

The US Food and Drug Administration has already granted expanded access to daraxonrasib and is expected to review it on a fast-track basis.