Washington, August 27 (TNA) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved daraxonrasib, a new oral drug for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have already received at least one prior systemic therapy. The drug, which will be sold by Revolution Medicines under the brand name Rasonque, targets a mutated protein in the RAS family that drives tumour growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases.
The approval is being seen as a major advance because pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer and treatment options have remained limited for years. In a late-stage trial involving about 500 patients, those who received daraxonrasib lived a median of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months for patients given standard chemotherapy. The company said the drug will cost about $39,800 for a one-month supply.
FDA officials approved the medicine more than six months ahead of the target date, signalling the urgency around a disease that often spreads quickly and is difficult to treat. The approval also follows the agency’s earlier Breakthrough Therapy designation for the drug in June 2025.
Why it matters
This approval matters because it gives doctors a new targeted option for a cancer that has long had poor survival rates and few effective treatments. Experts say the drug could reshape care for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, especially those who no longer respond to initial therapy.