A new medication called daraxonrasib has shown promising results in a phase 3 clinical trial for treating pancreatic cancer, reducing the risk of death by nearly half.

A phase 3 clinical trial has found that the drug daraxonrasib significantly improved survival rates of participants with pancreatic cancer. The trial involved 500 participants with solid tumors and activating RAS mutations, a gene mutation found in 92% of pancreatic cancer cases.

Clinical Trial Results

The researchers found that daraxonrasib reduced the overall risk of death by 60% compared with people with advanced pancreatic cancer who were treated with chemotherapy. The medication also helped shrink or eliminate tumors among participants in the trial. Participants using daraxonrasib had an average survival rate of 13 months from diagnosis to death compared to 6 months for participants treated with standard chemotherapy.

Expert Reaction

Experts not involved in the trial are very encouraged by the findings. Diane Simeone, MD, the director of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, said 'This is an extraordinarily hopeful moment for the pancreatic cancer field.' Christina Annunziata, MD, senior vice president of Extramural Discovery Science at the American Cancer Society, noted that 'the side effects were lower compared to standard chemotherapy typically used in this second-line treatment setting.'

Daraxonrasib and Pancreatic Cancer

Daraxonrasib is the first in a new class of drugs called RAS(ON) inhibitors that target variants of the RAS gene that drive cancer growth. Pancreatic cancer affects the pancreas, an organ that plays an essential role in digestion. The American Cancer Society reports that 68,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and roughly 53,000 will die from the disease.