New cancer drugs could double survival time. What NC doctors want you to know

New developments in research could double the survival time of pancreatic cancer patients.

Revolution Medicines, a clinical oncology company, released a press release detailing the results of a clinical trial for a new medication on Monday, April 13. Daraxonrasib was shown to extend the survival of patients from an average 6.7 months for those receiving standard chemotherapy to 13.2 months after starting treatment. North Carolina doctors see the aggressive cancer each day, including oncologists at Novant Health and researchers at UNC Chapel Hill. There are six pancreatic cancer trials open at UNC, including some based on research done there.

Revolution Medicines plans to submit the results of the Stage III trial to regulatory bodies, including the US’ Food and Drug Administration. Revolution Medicines has received a voucher from the FDA’s Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher pilot program, which is designed to expedite the review of certain medications.

Another company, Actuate Therapies, also published research showing that their drug, elraglusib, can double a one-year survival time. The trial was Stage II, so more research will be done.

Pancreatic cancer is aggressive

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal cancers, according to Novant surgical oncologist Dr. Nicholas Latchana. Around 60,000 people are diagnosed each year, and around 50,000 people succumb to pancreatic cancer each year.

Latchana said he often doesn’t get to help address pancreatic cancer with surgery at all because it is found too late.

“The majority of those patients that get diagnosed with pancreas cancer, unfortunately don’t get to meet me, or are not able to benefit from my services from a surgical standpoint, because we end up detecting many of these cancers when they’re too late and there’s already signs of spread of disease,” Latchana said.

Medication tackles mutation

Daraxonrasib works by inhibiting a protein mutation associated with pancreatic cancer. Mutations can turn RAS genes, which control cell growth, permanently on, causing abnormal growth. Elraglusib tackles pancreatic cancer differently.

Dr. Ashwin Somasundaram, an assistant professor of medicine and oncologist at UNC-Chapel Hill, said that many companies are researching RAS inhibitors. Around 90% of patients with pancreatic cancer have a RAS mutation.

“There have been small steps forward, but this is the first major therapy advance in the last 15 years for pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer, notoriously, has had very little improvement over the last over its existence,” Somasundaram said.

Side effects

Daraxonrasib has received attention in recent days following interviews with Ben Sasse, a former Nebraska congressman diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in December 2025. Sasse is on daraxonrasib, and experiencing a visible side effect. In a recent New York Times interview with Ross Douthat, Sasse can be seen with dried blood on his face, as the medicine can inhibit proper skin growth.

“The rash that can come from this drug is pretty severe. Obviously, the trade off is that it doubled patient survival,” Somasundaram said.

Somasundaram also said patients and clinicians fighting pancreatic cancer now may feel bittersweet because of how quickly pancreatic cancer cases can progress. Patients being seen for pancreatic cancer now may not be able to access the new therapies in time.

“We are fortunate that the FDA gave breakthrough designation, which is basically a designation they give to certain drugs to fast track them. But it’s still frustrating when I think about how much faster this whole process could move, and I feel frustrated, and I know a lot of our patients do, especially those that sort of are missing that window for FDA approval,” Somasundaram said.

Eva Flowe

The Charlotte Observer

Eva Flowe is a North Carolina native and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She joined the Charlotte Observer as part of the NC service journalism team in April 2026.