FDA approves first RAS-targeting drug for pancreatic cancer Another FDA-approved blood test for Alzheimer’s disease, a large investment in an epilepsy drug, a win for a monoclonal antibody drug, and more led the news this week. Brought to you byDDN editorial team

FDA approves first RAS-targeting drug for pancreatic cancer Another FDA-approved blood test for Alzheimer’s disease, a large investment in an epilepsy drug, a win for a monoclonal antibody drug, and more led the news this week. Brought to you byDDN editorial team https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/fda-approves-first-ras-targeting-drug-for-pancreatic-cancer-17485?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9EN7tTjw5AACeTGXWzPG4sDAiI85wpUoJKN4OTl_1AX3HxIVf1wN5dhIICRGkrBf51M-YObbPiQ4ZcD-lKgdhIBhI0YA&_hsmi=435662457&utm_content=435662457&utm_source=hs_email The FDA has approved Revolution Medicines’ Rasonque (daraxonrasib) for adults with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, marking the first approved therapy designed to directly target a genetic driver of the disease. The once-daily oral RAS inhibitor is approved for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who have received at least one prior systemic therapy or are not candidates for multiagent treatment. In a randomized Phase 3 trial involving 500 previously treated patients, Rasonque more than doubled median overall survival compared with standard chemotherapy, extending it to 13.2 months versus 6.7 months. Although pancreatic cancer accounts for only around three percent of cancer diagnoses in the US, it is responsible for approximately eight percent of cancer deaths, with more than 50,000 people dying from the disease each year. Rasonque targets RAS proteins, which drive tumor growth in most pancreatic adenocarcinomas, and was granted Breakthrough Therapy, Orphan Drug, and Priority Review designations. “The approval was granted 6.5 months before the user fee deadline, demonstrating the FDA’s commitment to accelerating the approval of new cancer treatments for patients with serious and life-threatening conditions,” said Angelo de Claro, Director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence, in the press release. – Bree Foster Vaccine generates durable immune responses in people at high risk for pancreatic cancer Results from Johns Hopkins show a synthetic peptide vaccine was safe and activated mutant-KRAS-specific T cells in 90 percent of participants, offering an early signal that cancer interception may be possible before disease develops. Written byAndrea Corona https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/vaccine-generates-durable-immune-responses-in-people-at-high-risk-for-pancreatic-cancer-17365?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--pnyxMGe4WAmR10-eoCMRh93eZQLfg3OPd8-KLR0fQsdXhnDun7SfqooNgC2XR93XpO02KIVzpc-FrXiN2XQtje5GAkA&_hsmi=435662457&utm_content=435662457&utm_source=hs_email Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the lowest five-year survival rates of any cancer, in large part because it is rarely caught early. Most cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, when surgery is no longer an option and systemic treatment options remain limited. For the roughly 10 percent of cases driven by hereditary predisposition, high-risk individuals are currently managed through surveillance — watching and waiting for signs of transformation into cancer with few tools to intervene before that happens. Sensitive blood test detects pancreatic cancer recurrence early A new blood test focusing on KRAS mutations found evidence of pancreatic cancer recurrence before standard testing. Written byAllison Whitten, PhD https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/sensitive-blood-test-detects-pancreatic-cancer-recurrence-early-17363?utm_campaign=DDN_Newsletter_Dose&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_lEMOQ7z1LlGY2i-xtI9X4cKak_NmlpcljWclYsgkVaaFBg8M90rWJOw-McHTb-fQEtuqX6PJO0JPOpALCW_GpCLMkeQ&_hsmi=435662457&utm_content=435662457&utm_source=hs_email Pancreatic cancer almost always comes back. Although the last few years have seen major advances in treatments for this highly fatal cancer, most patients will experience recurrence because today’s standard testing cannot detect lingering microscopic cancer cells.