2026-06-01 13:00:10
A daily pill could transform the fight against pancreatic cancer after a landmark clinical trial found it doubled survival time in patients with advanced disease.
Experts are calling the results a “gamechanger” and one of the most significant breakthroughs in decades against a cancer notorious for its grim outlook.
The drug, called daraxonrasib, was tested in 500 patients whose pancreatic cancer had already spread.
Researchers found those taking the tablet survived for an average of 13.2 months, compared with just 6.6 to 6.7 months for patients receiving chemotherapy.
The findings were unveiled at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference in Chicago.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases, with more than half of patients only diagnosed after the cancer has spread.
Treatment options are limited and often offer little benefit.
Now scientists believe daraxonrasib could mark the beginning of a treatment revolution.
The pill works by targeting a cancer-driving protein called Kras, which fuels almost all pancreatic cancers.
More than 90 per cent of patients with the most common form of the disease, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, carry a Kras mutation that causes cancer cells to keep growing and spreading.
Daraxonrasib belongs to a new generation of drugs known as Ras(On) multi-selective inhibitors, designed to switch off the Kras protein regardless of which mutation is present.
Experts not involved in the trial reacted emotionally to the results.
Dr Rachna Shroff, chief of oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, said: “These results are landscape-changing.
“We are seeing unprecedented survival.”
The long-time pancreatic cancer specialist admitted the findings moved her to tears.
She said: “Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying in clinic.
“This is such an incredibly impactful study for our patients, and I really congratulate the investigators.”
Dr Julie Gralow, chief medical officer and executive vice-president of Asco, described the discovery as a major turning point.
She said: “I’ve heard this study described as a home run.
“I would actually say it’s a grand slam.”
Researchers hope the success of daraxonrasib could pave the way for smarter treatments targeting cancers once considered almost impossible to beat.
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