Daily Pill Shows Promise Against Pancreatic Cancer

A new daily pill has significantly extended survival for people with advanced pancreatic cancer in the United States, offering fresh hope against one of the deadliest forms of the disease.

“These results are landscape-changing for metastatic pancreatic cancer patients with a KRAS mutation,” said Dr Rachna Shroff, Chief of the Division of Haematology/Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

The experimental pill, daraxonrasib, targets KRAS mutations found in more than 90% of pancreatic tumours and helps stop cancer growth. In a clinical trial involving 500 patients across North America, Europe and Asia, those taking the drug achieved a median survival of 13.2 months, compared with 6.6 months for patients receiving chemotherapy. The pill also caused fewer severe side effects, with 43.6% of participants experiencing serious adverse events compared with 57.5% in the chemotherapy group. Researchers and patient advocates say the results represent one of the most promising advances in pancreatic cancer treatment in recent years.