F.D.A. Approves the Drug Daraxonrasib That’s Poised to Transform Pancreatic Cancer

The Food and Drug Administration approved on Wednesday a new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer, ushering in a new era of treatment for a disease that has long been considered one of the most hopeless in medicine.

The drug, taken as two pills a day, is the first of its type and has electrified cancer specialists and patients. It is not a cure, but it is the first treatment to substantially extend the lives of patients with pancreatic cancer.

The drug, daraxonrasib, is made by Revolution Medicines and will be sold under the brand name Rasonque. It was approved for patients who have metastatic pancreatic cancer and have already tried chemotherapy. In a key clinical trial, participants who got daraxonrasib lived for a median of over 13 months, compared with less than seven months for those who got chemotherapy. Some patients who have gotten the drug through clinical trials have lived for years.

“We’ve never seen a benefit like this,” said Dr. Anna Berkenblit, the chief scientific and medical officer at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, an advocacy group for research and patients.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/science/pancreatic-cancer-daraxonrasib-approval.html