The Food and Drug Administration approved a twice-daily pill yesterday to treat late-stage pancreatic cancer. Rasonque (generic name: daraxonrasib) is the first drug by California-based Revolutionary Medicines.
Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 13% for the roughly 67,000 Americans diagnosed annually. One challenge is geometry: RAS mutations drive 90% of pancreatic cancer cases and more than one-quarter of all cancers (watch 101). The proteins they generate are flat, making it difficult for drugs to bind to them. In 2013, however, one of RevMed’s cofounders discovered a pocket for drugs to latch onto; the company began human trials in 2022. Recipients lived nearly twice as long on daraxonrasib: 13.2 months, compared with 6.7 months on chemotherapy. Among them is former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), who lauded the drug despite side effects; see interview (via YouTube).
RevMed is investigating a potential drug for lung cancer, of which roughly 20% or more cases are driven by RAS mutations.
