health
FDA gives expedited approval to new groundbreaking pancreatic cancer drug
FDA officials approve first-of-a-kind pill called daraxonrasib to fight one of the deadliest types of cancer
TL;DR
- The FDA has approved daraxonrasib, a new pill for the most common form of pancreatic cancer.
- The drug targets a mutated protein crucial for tumor growth in over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases.
- Patients taking daraxonrasib nearly doubled their survival time in a study, with median survival of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for chemotherapy.
- The drug, sold as Rasonque by Revolution Medicines, showed fewer severe side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
- Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with a low five-year survival rate.
- The drug targets Kras mutations, which were previously considered 'undruggable'.
- Revolution Medicines is also studying its technology for other cancers, like lung cancer.