A Chicago cancer conference this summer revealed an astounding development – a recent clinical trial of a new therapy, Daraxonrasib, was nearly doubling survival rates for late-stage pancreatic cancer patients. Pancreatic cancer currently ranks 11th among newly diagnosed cancer deaths in the US, and is extremely difficult to detect – patients usually don’t go to the doctor until they’re experiencing extreme symptoms, and by then it’s often too late to receive a meaningful intervention.
The new treatment directly attacks a gene mutation that 90%+ of pancreatic cancers carry – called the “KRAS” mutation. This same type of mutation appears in other forms of cancer, including lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and gynecological cancers. For decades, a pancreatic cancer diagnosis was devastating for patients and families, given the few treatment options and high mortality rates. That changed this summer with the breakthrough clinical trial news coming out of Chicago.
Now that Daraxonrasib has been approved by the FDA, the potential positive upside of this medical advancement for many families impacted by cancer are profound – but policymakers in Washington, D.C. have a role to play ensuring that new medical innovations continue to succeed in the therapeutic development pipeline, which can span more than a decade, and require billions in public and private investment. In an austerity-focused policy environment, lawmakers often try to curb healthcare spending to overcome widening budget deficits. For cancer patients, that translates to limiting access to new classes of medication.
We’re finally seeing breakthrough momentum after decades of research into pancreatic cancer treatment, which is not an unusual timeline on the scale of new medical discovery, so we’d encourage lawmakers to not limit access to drugs like Daraxonrasib as they become more broadly available.
Kimberly McMullen, Volunteer, PurpleStride Chair, Puget Sound Affiliate with Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
