Experimental drug doubles survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer trial

Months after announcing his stage 4 cancer diagnosis, former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse is speaking out about an experimental therapy that could extend his life.

Sasse, a Republican who represented Nebraska from 2015 to 2023, shared in December 2025 that he had metastatic pancreatic cancer that had spread to multiple organs, including his liver and lungs.

Sasse, 54, who was initially given three to four months to live, entered a clinical trial for a drug called daraxonrasib, an oral therapy (pill) designed to block the defective gene that triggers uncontrolled cellular growth.

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California-based drugmaker Revolution Medicines recently shared data from a phase 3 clinical trial in people with metastatic pancreatic cancer that did not respond to standard chemotherapy.

Patients who received treatment lived an average of 13 months, while those who continued chemotherapy lived for about six months.

“I have much, much less pain than I did when I was diagnosed four months ago, and I’ve had a massive 76% reduction in my tumor volume in the last four months,” Sasse told “60 Minutes” in a recent interview.

D., chief of gastrointestinal medical oncology at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida. According to Sarbajit Mukherjee, Daraxonrasib works by pursuing a significant growth “change” in many cancers called RAS.

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“In pancreatic cancer, in the vast majority of tumors, this switch gets stuck in the ‘on’ position, constantly telling the cancer cells to grow and spread,” the doctor, who was not involved in the trial and did not treat Sasse, told Fox News Digital.

“Daraxonrasib is designed to bind to the RAS in its active state and turn off this signaling, which can slow or shrink cancer.”

“The drug is in the final stages of clinical trials where it has been shown to double the chances of survival for those previously treated for metastatic pancreatic cancer.”

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. According to Marc Siegel, pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose early because there are often no symptoms or only mild gastrointestinal symptoms until it has spread.

“This is the first of its kind targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer,” Siegel, who was not involved in the research or the senator’s treatment, told Fox News Digital. “The drug is in the final stages of clinical trials where it has been shown to double the chances of survival for those previously treated for metastatic pancreatic cancer.”

Sasse, seen above, announced his diagnosis late last year. One expert said the increase in survival seen in the clinical trial was a “huge difference” for a disease that typically has a much shorter survival time. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The survival increase seen in the trial was a “huge difference” for a disease with much shorter survival, Mukherjee said.

“From my perspective, as someone who treats pancreatic cancer every day, daraxonrasib is the first targeted pill that truly feels like a step change in this disease rather than a small incremental improvement,” he said.

“It opens the door to much more personalized strategies going forward. For a cancer where progression is painfully slow, it could reshape how we care for patients with advanced disease.”

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Although current chemotherapy options shrink pancreatic tumors and help people live longer, they are “difficult,” Mukherjee noted, “and when they stop working, our options are limited, and survival is often measured in just a few months.”

Early data also shows that when daraxonrasib is combined with standard chemotherapy as initial treatment, there is greater shrinkage of tumors and more patients do better at six months than they typically would with chemotherapy alone.

Sasse shared in December 2025 that he had metastatic pancreatic cancer that had spread to many organs, including his liver and lungs. (Meghan McCarthy/Palm Beach Daily News/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Mukherjee suggested that if the drug is approved, it would likely become an important option for patients when standard chemotherapy does not work.

“Ongoing trials are now asking whether this should also be used as part of the initial treatment plan,” he added.

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Although the drug was described as “well tolerated” compared to chemotherapy, the doctor noted that, like any powerful cancer drug, daraxonrasib has side effects.

“The most common conditions we see include rash, diarrhea, mouth sores and fatigue; patients need regular blood tests and close monitoring during treatment,” Mukherjee said. he said.

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In clinical studies, most of these problems were resolved by adjusting the dose or adding supportive medications.

“It’s important that the limitations are transparent; it hasn’t been approved by the FDA yet and it’s not a cure,” Mukherjee said.

In addition to daraxonrasi, Sasse credits her faith with helping her overcome her original diagnosis. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“Over time, most cancers will find ways to grow around the drug.”

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In addition to daraxonrasib, which he calls the “miracle” drug, Sasse credits his faith with helping him get past his original diagnosis.

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“It’s so weird being in your early 50s and getting a terminal diagnosis, and people suddenly act like you’re 93 or 94 and have so much wisdom,” he said.

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“I don’t know if I have a lot of wisdom, but there are a lot of things I think we should think about together.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Sasse, as well as the head of the clinical trial, for further comment.