The biggest buzz at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago recently was a new drug candidate from U.S.-based Revolution Medicines that nearly doubled overall survival in a phase 3 trial for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Observers said it showed a new possibility for treating pancreatic cancer, long called the "cancer of cancers" after more than 40 years as an intractable challenge.
According to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry on the 17th, Revolution Medicines unveiled phase 3 results for its metastatic pancreatic cancer drug candidate "daraxonrasib" at ASCO, held from the 29th of last month to the 2nd of this month (local time).
With once-daily oral dosing of daraxonrasib, median overall survival (mOS) increased from 6.7 months to 13.2 months. Standing ovations broke out at the venue right after the presentation.
This kind of standing ovation at ASCO is cited as the first since the 2022 phase 3 presentation for Enhertu. At the time, Japan's Daiichi Sankyo announced phase 3 results for the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) "Enhertu," co-developed with Britain's AstraZeneca, which became a catalyst for explosive growth in the global ADC market.
Pancreatic cancer is a representative hard-to-treat cancer with very limited treatment options. Because the pancreas sits deep in the abdomen, early detection is difficult, and many patients are diagnosed at advanced or metastatic stages where surgery is challenging. Only about 15% to 20% of patients undergo surgery that offers a chance of cure. The rest must rely on chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Current treatments are largely limited to chemotherapies developed in the 1990s such as gemcitabine, Abraxane, and FOLFIRINOX. However, because efficacy is limited and side effects are substantial, the need for therapies with new mechanisms of action has been consistently raised.
In particular, because survival for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer typically remains around 6 to 7 months, daraxonrasib's results nearly doubling survival in this setting are drawing industry attention.
What draws even more attention is that it directly targets "RAS," which has been regarded as a conundrum in drug development for more than 40 years. RAS is a protein that regulates cell growth and proliferation; when mutations occur, it drives continuous proliferation of cancer cells. Although common in major solid tumors such as pancreatic, colorectal, and Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), drug development has failed for decades because the complex molecular structure makes binding difficult.
Daraxonrasib works by binding to activated RAS proteins and blocking proliferative signals in cancer cells. Unlike traditional approaches that target specific mutations, it can apply to diverse RAS mutations, viewed as a key strength. Based on these results, the company plans to expand development beyond pancreatic cancer to colorectal cancer and Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Kim Min-jung, an analyst at DS Investment, said, "The star of ASCO 2026 is undoubtedly Revolution Medicines' phase 3 success in pancreatic cancer," adding, "It was the moment humanity took its first step toward RAS, a problem regarded as intractable for 40 years."
Domestic corporations are also jumping into the race to develop pancreatic cancer treatments. A leading contender is Nesuparib, a next-generation dual-target anticancer drug from Onconic Therapeutics, a subsidiary of JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL. A phase 2 trial is underway in patients with metastatic or advanced pancreatic cancer, combining Nesuparib with the current standard regimen "gemcitabine plus Abraxane."
At this ASCO, the company disclosed results from a prior phase 1b study. According to the presentation, a case of complete response (CR), in which cancer cells disappeared completely, was sustained for more than 40 months, and mOS was 14.2 months.
Nesuparib is a dual-target anticancer drug that simultaneously inhibits "PARP," which repairs DNA damage in cancer cells, and "Tankyrase," which is involved in cancer growth. It is drawing expectations that it can overcome resistance issues long cited as a limitation of existing PARP inhibitors.
It is also delivering results during development. In 2021, Nesuparib received orphan drug designation (ODD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pancreatic cancer treatment. If approved as an orphan drug, it can receive benefits such as up to seven years of market exclusivity, fee reductions, and development support. In March this year, it additionally secured orphan drug designation in the field of treatments for gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer, broadening the potential for expanded indications.
Prestige Biopharma is developing the pancreatic cancer antibody drug "PBP1510." This candidate targets pancreatic adenocarcinoma upregulated factor (PAUF), which is overexpressed in about 80% of pancreatic cancer patients. Phase 1 and 2a trials are underway in the United States and Europe.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Bioscience sought to expand development of the pancreatic cancer treatment "Polytaxel," but recently voluntarily withdrew its phase 1 trial application.
Global pharmaceutical companies are also locked in fierce competition. Major big pharma players such as Switzerland's Roche and Novartis, and U.S.-based Pfizer and Merck (MSD) are pursuing pancreatic cancer drugs. Worldwide, 164 pancreatic cancer drug candidates are in preclinical stages, 233 are in early clinical stages, and 29 are in phase 3 trials.
Among them, Britain's AstraZeneca is conducting a phase 2 trial of "Lynparza" in combination with MSD's "Keytruda" for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer with BRCA1/2 mutations that produce tumor suppressor proteins.