Prime Highlights
- Daraxonrasib reduced the risk of death by 60% and doubled survival compared with standard chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic cancer patients.
- The drug halted or reversed tumor progression in nearly one-third of patients, outperforming chemotherapy.
Key Facts
- Revolution Medicines is developing daraxonrasib as a targeted treatment for pancreatic cancer and other RAS-driven cancers.
- Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with only about 3% of metastatic patients surviving five years after diagnosis.
Background
Revolution Medicines has reported strong results from a late-stage clinical trial of its experimental pancreatic cancer drug daraxonrasib, showing significant improvements in survival and disease control compared with standard chemotherapy.
The study involved around 500 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer whose disease had progressed after an initial round of chemotherapy. Researchers found that the once-daily pill reduced the risk of death by 60% compared with chemotherapy. The treatment also stopped or reversed tumor growth in nearly one-third of patients, while only 10% of patients receiving chemotherapy achieved similar results.
The full trial findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. Experts described the results as a major advance in a disease that has historically shown limited treatment success. Researchers observed that among individuals whose cancer had gotten worse following chemotherapy, the survival benefit and decrease in death risk were unparalleled.
Earlier results released in the second week of April showed that patients treated with daraxonrasib lived a median of 13.2 months from diagnosis, compared with 6.7 months for those receiving standard chemotherapy. The update boosted investor confidence and drove a sharp rise in the company’s share price.
Researchers also reported improvements in patient quality of life. Some participants were able to resume activities they had previously stopped because of their illness. While skin rash remained the most common side effect, affecting more than 86% of patients, investigators said the condition was generally manageable with standard treatments.
Revolution Medicines is now testing daraxonrasib in earlier-stage pancreatic cancer and in combination with other therapies, aiming to further improve survival outcomes for patients facing one of the deadliest forms of cancer.
