Daniel Gilbert, The Washington Post (semi-gift link; Apple News+ link):

At 69 years old, Debby Orcutt was diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer, a condition so dire that her doctor refused to tell her how long she had to live. With few good options, she enrolled in a clinical trial for an experimental drug.

[…]

A scan last week showed her tumor had shrunk 64 percent since starting the drug in January, according to her husband. It is the sort of clinical evidence that is stirring optimism and has prompted the Trump administration to put it on a novel path for rapid approval.

[…]

Based on early clinical trial results, the Food and Drug Administration in October awarded the drug’s sponsor, biotech company Revolution Medicines, a new and unconventional accelerated review designed to get promising drugs to patients faster than ever. […]

The FDA’s selection of Revolution Medicines’ daraxonrasib appeared to cement its status as one of the most promising experimental cancer drugs.

Proudly sharing this because it represents four years of my wife’s life: she leads one of the many research teams at Revolution Medicines striving to get this breakthrough drug into the hands of doctors and patients.

Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly forms of cancer. It’s what took the life of Steve Jobs and many other talented people. An effective treatment is welcome.