FDA approves landmark pancreatic cancer drug that's shown to improve survival

On Wednesday, August 27, 2026, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer. The pill, named daraxonrasib, targets a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases. This marks the first-ever drug of its kind to utilize this approach, which had previously eluded drugmakers for decades.

Revolution Medicines, the manufacturer, will sell the drug under the brand name Rasonque. A one-month supply of the pills would cost approximately $39,800. In a study where patients were randomly assigned to receive either the experimental treatment or additional chemotherapy, those taking the drug experienced nearly double the survival time, with fewer severe side effects.

The company-funded study included 500 patients with metastatic, or spreading, pancreatic cancer that had stopped responding to prior treatment. Those receiving the new treatment lived for a median of 13.2 months, compared to 6.7 months for those on chemotherapy. Common side effects included skin rash, mouth sores, diarrhea, and other digestive issues.

Dr. Andrew Coveler of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center deemed this approval one of the most anticipated he has seen, describing the medicine as a significant improvement rather than a cure. Pancreatic cancer is notoriously hard to detect before it spreads to other organs, with about 67,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year, and over 52,000 people expected to die from the disease. The five-year overall survival rate is just 13%.

The drug garnered public attention earlier this year when former Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., discussed on CBS "60 Minutes" how it had reduced his pain while taking it. The FDA approved the drug over six months ahead of its target date. FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas emphasized the duty to deliver more cures and meaningful treatments to patients as quickly as possible.

Unlike other cancers, pancreatic cancer has been particularly challenging to treat due to the difficulty in targeting the cancer driver, KRAS gene mutations, which are critical for fueling pancreatic cancer growth. The new drug uses a molecular glue to bind with multiple KRAS subtypes. Revolution Medicines is also studying its technology for several other forms of cancer, including lung cancer.