Breakthrough Drug Boosts Survival Rates for Pancreatic Cancer

WHO:

Science Daily - Dr. Brian Wolpin, lead investigator for the daraxonrasib clinical trial.

UCHealth - Dr. Wells Messersmith, head of the Medical Oncology division at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.

UCHealth - Ben Sasse, former U.S. senator from Nebraska, diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer.

WHAT:

Science Daily - A new drug, daraxonrasib, targets the KRAS mutation in pancreatic tumors and nearly doubles survival rates for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

UCHealth - The clinical trial data showed that daraxonrasib reduced the risk of death by 60%.

UCHealth - Patients taking daraxonrasib survived about 15 months, compared to less than half that time historically for similar patients.

UCHealth - The FDA greenlit daraxonrasib for expanded access on May 1.

UCHealth - The drug is on a fast track for full approval later in 2026.

WHERE:

UCHealth - The clinical trial took place at the University of Colorado Hospital.

UCHealth - The findings were presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.

WHEN:

UCHealth - The FDA granted expanded access for daraxonrasib on May 1.

UCHealth - The study findings were presented on May 31, 2026.

UCHealth - Ben Sasse was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer in December 2025.

WHY:

UCHealth - Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., killing nearly 53,000 people each year.

UCHealth - The drug targets KRAS mutations, which drive the vast majority of pancreatic cancers.

HOW:

UCHealth - Daraxonrasib binds to a chaperone protein that impacts KRAS proteins with known cancer-causing mutations, making it a pan-RAS inhibitor.

UCHealth - AI is being used to analyze CT scans for early detection of pancreatic cancer, identifying 73% of cancers about 16 months before diagnosis.

(UPDATED June 4, 2026 17:55 UTC)

A groundbreaking clinical trial led by Dr. Brian Wolpin has revealed that a new drug called daraxonrasib, which targets the KRAS mutation in pancreatic tumors, nearly doubles survival rates for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The trial, conducted at the University of Colorado Hospital, showed that patients taking daraxonrasib survived about 15 months, significantly longer than the historical average for similar patients, and the FDA granted expanded access for the drug on May 1. The findings were recently presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, highlighting the urgent need for effective treatments as pancreatic cancer remains the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.