An experimental pill already approved for pancreatic cancer is showing early signs of activity in patients with a hard-to-treat form of lung cancer, according to new clinical data.<\/p>\n
The drug, daraxonrasib, targets cancers driven by mutations in the RAS gene \u2014 a family of mutations long considered "undruggable" before recent breakthroughs. The latest results come from a Phase 1\/2 study in patients with previously treated RAS-mutant non\u2013small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a group with limited options after standard therapies fail.<\/p>\n
Researchers reported confirmed responses in a meaningful share of patients, including some whose tumors had stopped responding to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The most common side effects were mostly manageable, though liver enzyme elevations and fatigue were seen. The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a major oncology conference.<\/p>\n
Daraxonrasib first made headlines earlier this year when the FDA granted accelerated approval for pancreatic cancer on the strength of survival data. The drug belongs to a class of therapies that block mutant RAS proteins directly \u2014 a strategy that failed for decades until recent structural advances made it possible.<\/p>\n
For lung cancer, the path forward is still early. Larger randomized trials are needed to confirm whether the benefit holds and to define the best sequence of treatment. But oncologists say the data reinforce a broader shift: tumors are increasingly being matched to specific genetic drivers rather than treated by location alone.<\/p>\n
The cost of such drugs is also part of the conversation. The therapy's annual list price has drawn scrutiny from patient advocates and policymakers, even as researchers argue that durable responses can be worth the investment if they delay progression and hospitalization.<\/p>\n
For now, the lung cancer data remain preliminary. But for a subset of patients with RAS-mutant disease \u2014 and for the companies betting on this class \u2014 the early signals are hard to ignore. The next trial results, expected within two years, could determine how widely the drug moves beyond pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An experimental pill already approved for pancreatic cancer is showing early signs of activity in patients with a hard-to-treat form of lung cancer, according to new clinical data. The drug, daraxonrasib, targets…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[107,103,105,104,106],"class_list":["post-4858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cancer-drug-price","tag-daraxonrasib","tag-nejm-study","tag-ras-mutant-lung-cancer","tag-targeted-therapy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t