The US Food and Drug Administration announced its approval on Wednesday of a groundbreaking new treatment for pancreatic cancer. The therapy from Revolution Medicines, identified as daraxonrasib and Rasonque, provides a new option for patients fighting the most common form of the disease.
The first-of-a-kind pill works by blocking a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases, an approach that has eluded drugmakers for decades. Experts predict the drug will transform treatment for the notoriously deadly disease, which historically has been difficult to treat and kills seven out of eight patients within five years.
This therapy could double the survival time of some patients by slowing the progression of the cancer. The approval comes as part of a wider effort to combat the disease, with pharmaceutical companies announcing 24 final-stage trials for medicines targeting the condition since last year.