FDA greenlights Revolution Medicines' genetic therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer

The Food and Drug Administration approved daraxonrasib, sold under the brand name Rasonque, as a treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. Developed by biotech firm Revolution Medicines, the drug is the first to target a specific genetic mutation driving the malignancy. A recent trial demonstrated that patients receiving Rasonque as a second-line therapy achieved a median overall survival of 13.2 months, versus 6.7 months for those on standard chemotherapy.

Andrew Ko, a gastrointestinal oncology specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, described the approval as a transformative development for pancreatic cancer care. The decision follows a practice-changing study read out earlier this year. The new therapy offers hope for extending life in a disease that has long lacked effective options.