For pancreatic cancer, the FDA grants early access to the experimental drug daraxonrasib

The federal Food and Drug Administration said Friday it will grant some patients early access to Revolution Medicines' experimental pancreatic cancer drug daraxonrasib.

The drug — which former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, is being treated with for his stage 4 pancreatic cancers — hasn’t been approved by the FDA. But the FDA told the Redwood City, California, manufacturer it can begin an "expanded access treatment protocol" for some patients who previously have been treated for pancreatic cancer.

The FDA said it received an expanded access request from Revolution Medicines for daraxonrasib only this week and approved it on Thursday.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It’s estimated that more than 52,000 people will die from it this year, accounting for 8% of all cancer deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Revolution Medicines released promising late-stage clinical trial results in April for patients with pancreatic cancer that had spread to other parts of the body

Anna Berkenblit, who is chief scientific and medical officer for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, a pancreatic cancer patient advocacy group, said the study results are "truly remarkable" but that more study is needed to continue progress against the deadly disease.

"While these results represent a huge step forward in the field, they are just the beginning," Berkenblit said. "We know that resistance to treatment can develop, and research into drug combinations is needed to overcome these challenges."

Contributing: Saleen Martin

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