Pancreatic Cancer Drug
A new drug to treat late-stage pancreatic cancer slashes the risk of death by 60% compared with chemotherapy, oncology company Revolution Medicines said yesterday. Shares closed up 41.4% on the news.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 13% for the more than 67,000 people diagnosed in the US annually. At issue are mutations in a group of genes known as RAS. (Watch pancreatic cancer 101.) Now, a daily pill called daraxonrasib has shown promise at targeting mutant RAS proteins, with patients surviving a median of 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months on chemotherapy. Revolution Medicines plans to apply for FDA approval.
Former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) is one of the roughly 500 patients who participated in the trial after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and given up to four months to live. His tumor has shrunk by roughly 76% since late December. Watch him reflect on embracing life after his diagnosis here.
