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The Conversation ·Behind the news

Breakthrough Drug Nearly Doubles Survival with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer – an Oncologist Explains How Daraxonrasib Overcame an ‘undruggable’ Disease

by Christopher Lieu, Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz

Published 2026-06-02 17:39:10+00:00

When a cancer is considered "undruggable," what finally changes the narrative?

0:00 / 5:32 · Narrator Charon

Context

Pancreatic cancer has long felt like one of those truly formidable foes in medicine, a diagnosis that often leaves little room for hope. This piece delves into a remarkable shift in that narrative. It's not just about a new drug, daraxonrasib, but what it means to finally target a mechanism previously deemed 'undruggable.' It makes you wonder about the broader implications for other cancers, and how these scientific breakthroughs fundamentally alter our understanding of what's possible in treatment.

Show notes

A new drug, daraxonrasib, offers a significant advance in treating advanced pancreatic cancer, a disease long considered "undruggable" due to the KRAS genetic mutation. The article explains the drug's mechanism for indirectly targeting KRAS and presents Phase 3 clinical trial results demonstrating it nearly doubles patient survival. It also covers the drug's side effects and its path to regulatory approval.

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