Pancreatic cancer drug daraxonrasib from Revolution Medicines succeeds in trial
Pancreatic cancer, illustration
Nemes Laszl | Science Photo Library | Getty Images
Revolution MedicinesThe drug for pancreatic cancer was successful in its highly anticipated Phase 3 trial, nearly doubling typical survival and reducing the risk of death by 60% compared to chemotherapy, the company said Monday.
RevMed said its daily pill daraxonrasib met all primary and secondary endpoints in a trial in people whose cancer had progressed on another treatment. People taking daraxonrasib generally lived 13.2 months, while people receiving chemotherapy lived 6.7 months, an increase of 6.5 months, RevMed said in a press release.
“These are dramatic, practice-changing results, and our focus now is to move quickly to bring this potential new treatment option to patients who urgently need new treatment,” RevMed CEO Mark Goldsmith said in an interview.
Goldsmith called the results “unprecedented” and said neither drug showed an overall survival benefit of more than one year in a Phase 3 trial for pancreatic cancer. The company plans to seek Food and Drug Administration approval soon using the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher, which allows for review within a few months.
RevMed’s pill could bring a new option for people with pancreatic cancer, an aggressive disease with the lowest five-year survival rate of all major cancers at 13%. Daraxonrasib broadly targets RAS mutations that drive tumor growth and are found in approximately 90% of pancreatic cancer cases.
“These results usher in a new era of RAS-targeted drugs for pancreatic cancer treated with cytotoxic intravenous chemotherapy alone,” Goldsmith said.
The company’s shares rose more than 30% following results announced Monday.
RevMed said the drug showed a manageable safety profile and no new concerns were observed. The medication can cause a rash; This side effect was also highlighted by former Republican Senator Ben Sasse, who shared his experience using the drug in an interview with The New York Times last week. Goldsmith said the company could not comment on individual patients, but rash is a known and generally manageable side effect.
The company will seek approval for second-line treatment or for patients whose cancer has already spread while they are taking another drug. It is conducting a Phase 3 trial for newly diagnosed patients.
