FDA greenlights novel pancreatic cancer therapy as Trump admin readies biotech pricing pact

The Food and Drug Administration granted approval to a Revolution Medicines therapy that uniquely attacks a genetic cause of advanced pancreatic cancer, marking the first such drug for the disease. Clinical trial results reported a median overall survival of 13.2 months for patients receiving the drug as second-line treatment, compared with 6.7 months for those on standard chemotherapy. In a separate initiative, the Trump administration intends to announce new drug-pricing deals with several midsized biotechnology companies.

The proposals would require participating firms to offer outpatient drug discounts to state Medicaid programs at levels comparable to foreign pricing, though participation would be optional and the companies would be exempt from Medicare discount pilots. Discussions also include providing tariff relief to the companies. Both actions aim to expand access to treatments while curbing costs.