The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the breakthrough pancreatic cancer treatment Rasonque (daraxonrasib). This daily pill helps people live twice as long as they would with chemotherapy, according to a recent phase 3 clinical trial.

Daraxonrasib targets the RAS gene mutation that causes pancreatic cancer cell growth. This drug is now available for people with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common type of pancreatic cancer, who have received prior therapies and otherwise have limited treatment options.

Rasonque Doubled Survival Time Compared With Chemotherapy

The phase 3 clinical trial included 500 participants who were given daraxonrasib or chemotherapy. On average, people given daraxonrasib survived 13.2 months, while those on chemotherapy survived 6.7 months.

The findings received a standing ovation when they were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference on May 31, 2026.

People taking this drug not only live longer but can also avoid debilitating side effects—such as severe nerve damage and hair loss—that come with chemotherapy, according to Tracy Proverbs-Singh, MD, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, in New Jersey.

“The approval of daraxonrasib is arguably the most significant and hopeful development I have witnessed, fundamentally reshaping the outlook for my patients,” she told Verywell in an email.

Most trial participants tolerated the drug well. Common side effects of daraxonrasib include nausea, rash, diarrhea, swelling, bleeding, or loss of appetite.

“The most serious risk identified is a rare but potentially fatal lung inflammation known as pneumonitis, but overall, the drug’s tolerability is a key advantage, allowing patients to stay on the life-extending treatment longer,” Proverbs-Singh said.

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Rasonque Offers Hope for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Most people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed only after it has metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body. At this advanced stage, pancreatic cancer is hard to treat: On average, people who are diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer have a five-year survival rate of 3%.

“Most patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer receive combination chemotherapy as their initial treatment. Until now, patients whose cancer progressed often had another chemotherapy regimen as their next option,” said Pashtoon Kasi, MD, an associate clinical professor and medical director of GI Medical Oncology at City of Hope Orange County, Irvine, California.

Daraxonrasib offers these individuals a promising second-line treatment option. The pill targets cancer-causing RAS genetic mutations found in over 90% of people with pancreatic cancer.

“RAS was once viewed as essentially ‘undruggable.’ We are now entering an era in which we can directly target a major biological driver of pancreatic cancer. That opens the door not only to using daraxonrasib today, but also to studying it earlier in treatment and in new combinations that may help us continue improving outcomes,” Kasi told Verywell in an email.

Rasonque Could Treat Other RAS-Driven Cancers

Future studies will show if this treatment works for other RAS-mutation cancers, like colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. A phase 3 trial is also underway to test whether daraxonrasib or a combination of daraxonrasib and chemotherapy is effective as a first-line treatment.

“The drug’s novel ‘pan-RAS’ mechanism, which targets a wide array of cancer-causing mutations, represents a new class of therapy, with its manufacturer, Revolution Medicines, developing a pipeline of similar drugs,” Proverbs-Singh said.

For now this drug is only available for adults with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have received chemotherapy or can’t take combination chemotherapy. It may take four to six weeks for patients to receive the pills after their physician’s application is approved, Proverbs-Singh added. A 30-day supply costs $39,800 without insurance.

“Eligible patients can access the drug now, though not through a standard prescription,” Proverbs-Singh said. “Instead, it is available through a special FDA-authorized Expanded Access Program (EAP), which requires the patient’s physician to apply directly to the manufacturer.”