Gina Kolata, Rebecca Robbins, and Carolyn Y. Johnson, reporting for The New York Times under the headline “F.D.A. Approves Drug Poised to Transform Care for Pancreatic Cancer” (gift link):

The drug, taken as two pills a day, is the first of its type and has electrified cancer specialists and patients. It is not a cure, but it is the first treatment to substantially extend the lives of patients with pancreatic cancer.

The drug, daraxonrasib, is made by Revolution Medicines and will be sold under the brand name Rasonque. It was approved for patients who have metastatic pancreatic cancer and have already tried chemotherapy. In a key clinical trial, participants who got daraxonrasib lived for a median of over 13 months, compared with less than seven months for those who got chemotherapy. Some patients who have gotten the drug through clinical trials have lived for years.

This is tremendous news for anyone living with pancreatic cancer. No, it’s not a cure, but it is an effective treatment. My heartfelt congratulations to everyone at Revolution Medicines, but especially to my wife and friends who poured countless hours into the science and operations that helped develop this life-extending drug.

See Also: Press Releases from Revolution Medicines and FDA, and RevMed’s newly launched Rasonque drug site.