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By Matt Cannon and Amanda Castro
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A new pancreatic cancer pill drew a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute from oncologists at the world's largest cancer conference after late-stage trial data showed the drug nearly doubled survival in one of the deadliest cancers known to medicine.
The drug, daraxonrasib, was unveiled by lead investigator Dr. Brian M. Wolpin, director of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, during the plenary session of the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 31.
It blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases—a target that had eluded treatment for decades.
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When Wolpin advanced to a slide showing that the once-daily pill cut the risk of death by 60 percent in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, the packed auditorium erupted as attendees cheered, whistled and applauded.
"That time was not built into my talk," Wolpin quipped from the stage once the ovation finally subsided.
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Video clips of the ovation received millions of views on social media.
"Seldom do you sense you’re witnessing a historic moment in cancer care but this feels like ras targeting has arrived," wrote Dr. Mark Lewis, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Healthcare, on X. "One of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen: a standing ovation for the full Daraxonrasib results," wrote Dr. Samuel Hume, cofounder of Stematic Labs, which uses AI tools for scientific discovery.
The drug garnered public attention when former U.S. Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska described on 60 Minutes how he's had less pain while taking it.
Oncologists are being flooded with requests as a special access program gets started, the Associated Press reported.
What Is the KRAS Gene?
The KRAS gene contains the instructions for producing K‑Ras, a small but powerful protein that helps control how cells grow, divide, and mature. It acts as a molecular switch inside the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway, a system cells use to respond to external signals. When K‑Ras binds to a molecule called GTP, it switches “on” and sends growth signals; when it converts GTP into GDP, it switches “off.”
Because this on/off cycle is so central to normal cell behavior, KRAS is classified as a proto‑oncogene that can drive cancer if it becomes damaged. Mutations in KRAS lock the protein in its “on” position, pushing cells to grow uncontrollably.
KRAS mutations can also appear in rare inherited conditions. In disorders such as cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome, certain germ-line mutations disrupt normal signaling during development, leading to heart, skin, and facial differences. These inherited variants work differently from cancer‑driving mutations but underscore how sensitive the pathway is to even small changes.
Recent advances have finally produced drugs that can inhibit specific KRAS mutations, marking a major shift in treatment options for patients whose tumors carry these alterations.
What Daraxonrasib Is and Why It Matters
Pancreatic cancer kills roughly 50,000 Americans every year, with a five-year survival rate of just 3 percent for the metastatic disease.
Dr. Shubham Pant, of MD Anderson Cancer Center and a trial investigator, has compared KRAS to "a shiny ball": "You can't stick anything to it. It just kind of slides off," Pant said in a recent interview with Managed Healthcare Executive.
Daraxonrasib is the first of a new class of "RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitors"—drugs that switch off the active form of the protein across multiple KRAS variants, and even in tumors with no detectable RAS mutation. That makes it potentially relevant for virtually every patient with pancreatic cancer, regardless of their tumor's genetic profile.
The Phase 3 RASolute 302 trial, run by California-based Revolution Medicines and published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine, randomized 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who had progressed on prior treatment.
They received either oral daraxonrasib 300 mg once daily or an investigator's choice of standard intravenous chemotherapy.
The results were stark:
- Overall survival in patients with RAS G12 mutations: 13.2 months on daraxonrasib versus 6.6 months on chemotherapy
- Progression-free survival: 7.3 months versus 3.5 months
- Hazard ratio for death: 0.40, equating to a 60 percent reduction in risk
- Treatment discontinuation due to side effects: 1.2 percent for daraxonrasib versus 11.2 percent for chemotherapy
Maker Revolution Medicines funded the study.
ASCO chief medical officer Julie R. Gralow called the data "much more than a home run." She told reporters on Saturday: "I've heard this study described as a home run a lot. I would actually say it's a grand slam."
Dr. Rachna Shroff, chief of hematology/oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and ASCO's selected commentator on the study, described it as "a game changer in pancreatic cancer."
"Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying in clinic. This is such an incredibly impactful study for our patients," she said.
Dr. Anna Berkenblit, chief scientific and medical officer at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, called the data "the most significant advance we have ever seen in pancreatic cancer.
What Happens Next
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to expedite its review of daraxonrasib, which has already received Breakthrough Therapy and Orphan Drug designations and was selected for the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program.
The agency has also authorized an Expanded Access Program (EAP) for adults with previously treated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The program is intended for patients whose disease has progressed on standard therapies, who cannot tolerate those treatments, and who are unable to enroll in a clinical trial. Through the EAP, eligible individuals may receive Daraxonrasib free of charge before commercial approval.
Under FDA rules, patients cannot request the drug directly. A treating oncologist must determine whether a patient meets the protocol’s criteria and then submit the request to Revolution Medicines, which is prohibited from accepting inquiries from patients or caregivers.
The full protocol and inclusion criteria are posted on the ClinicalTrials.gov Expanded Access listing, and advocacy groups such as the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network offer additional information on biomarker testing and how targeted therapies fit into broader care planning.
Researchers are now testing daraxonrasib in earlier lines of treatment, in combination with chemotherapy, and in other RAS‑driven cancers, including lung, colon, and ovarian.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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