Researchers have developed Daraxonrasib, a promising new daily pill for pancreatic cancer treatment, with early clinical trials showing remarkable results. The drug is designed to block cancer signals linked to the RAS gene.

The phase 1 clinical trial was led by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The drug was tested on 168 pancreatic cancer patients with RAS gene mutations, all of whom had received at least one prior chemotherapy treatment.

About 30% of patients who took 300mg of Daraxonrasib showed a positive response. In approximately 90% of patients, the cancer either shrank or stopped progressing. Common side effects included skin itching, mouth ulcers, nausea, and diarrhea.

“This drug could change the future of cancer treatment,” said Dr. Brian Wolpin, Director of the Hale Family Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at Dana-Farber, who led the research. He noted that effective treatments for pancreatic cancer are very limited, making this development highly significant.

Pancreatic cancer is often called a silent killer because symptoms rarely appear until late stages. The five-year survival rate drops to just 13% when diagnosed at an advanced stage. Pancreatic tumors are also covered by a dense layer that resists immune cells and chemotherapy drugs, making treatment challenging.

Earlier, another drug called Elraglusib had also made news for improving survival rates in pancreatic cancer patients. A study published in Nature Medicine found that Elraglusib works against the GSK-3 beta protein that helps cancer cells grow.

Daraxonrasib represents a new class of targeted therapy that attacks multiple cancer signals simultaneously, offering renewed hope for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.