Expert analyzes potential new pancreatic cancer breakthrough

Adam Feuerstein is a senior writer and biotech columnist, reporting on the crossroads of drug development, business, Wall Street, and biotechnology. He is also a co-host of the weekly biotech podcast The Readout Loud and author of the newsletter Adam’s Biotech Scorecard. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

Allison DeAngelis is the East Coast biotech and venture capital reporter at STAT, reporting where scientific ideas and money meet. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud. You can reach Allison on Signal at AllisonDeAngelis.01.

Revolution Medicines announced a stunning survival benefit for its experimental drug in a Phase 3 pancreatic cancer study this week. 

Patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma who were treated with the company’s daily pill called daraxonrasib lived a median of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for patients who received standard chemotherapy. 

Revolution said it plans to use the data to apply for Food and Drug Administration approval, although it did not say when. When it does submit the data, approval might come fast. 

STAT spoke with Paul Oberstein of NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, an investigator in the trial, on its biotech podcast “The Readout Loud.”  

This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Let’s start by talking about pancreatic cancer generally. Why is it so challenging to treat it and what are the current survival rates?