An experimental pill from company Revolution Medicines delivered a striking survival advantage for people with previously treated pancreatic cancer patients. The oral drug daraxonrasib doubled median overall survival versus standard intravenous cytotoxic chemotherapy. Patients on daraxonrasib lived a median 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months on chemotherapy.
Daraxonrasib was generally well-tolerated, with no new safety concerns identified. The side-effect profile was manageable and includes rash. Revolution Medicine CEO Mark Goldsmith called the outcomes “unprecedented” and “practice-changing,” according to CNBC.
The success of the Phase 3 study reverberated beyond the clinic, sending the company’s shares up more than a third in a single day. Other biotech holdings exposed to the program also rose. Executives emphasized an intent to move quickly to bring the therapy to people who urgently need new options, aiming to extend lifespan and improve quality of life.
The emergence of daraxonrasib joins a broader wave of experimental approaches offering cautious optimism against pancreatic cancer. A new drug developoed in Northwestern University improved outcomes when added to standard chemotherapy in trials spanning over 200 patients. Median survival reached 10.1 months versus 7.2 months for chemotherapy alone. The one-year survival rate doubled to roughly 44% from 22%, and the risk of death fell by 38%. About 13% of patients receiving the drug elraglusib were alive at two years compared with none in the control group, and the regimen was generally well-tolerated with a manageable safety profile.Researchers said the drug works by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment so the immune system can better attack the tumor.
Other developments are moving ahead, including a therapeutic vaccine. The vaccine has been associated with an average of 15 months without disease recurrence and a median overall survival of 29 months in pancreatic and colorectal cancer.
Source:
www.jpost.com
