A new pancreatic cancer pill drew a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute from oncologists at the world's largest cancer conference after late-stage trial data showed the drug nearly doubled survival in one of the deadliest cancers known to medicine.

The drug, daraxonrasib, was unveiled by lead investigator Dr. Brian M. Wolpin, director of the Hale Family Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, during the plenary session of the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 31.

It blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer cases—a target that had eluded treatment for decades.

When Wolpin advanced to a slide showing that the once-daily pill cut the risk of death by 60 percent in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, the packed auditorium erupted, with attendees cheered, whistled and applauded.

"That time was not built into my talk," Wolpin quipped from the stage once the ovation finally subsided.

Video clips of the ovation received millions of views on social media.

The drug garnered public attention when former U.S. Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska described on 60 Minutes how he's had less pain while taking it.

Oncologists are being flooded with requests as a special access program gets started, The Associated Press agency reported.

What Daraxonrasib Is and Why It Matters

Pancreatic cancer kills roughly 50,000 Americans every year, with a five-year survival rate of just 3 percent for the metastatic disease. More than 90 percent of pancreatic tumors are driven by mutations in the KRAS gene—a protein long considered "undruggable" because its smooth surface gave drug molecules nothing to bind to.

Dr. Shubham Pant, of MD Anderson Cancer Center and a trial investigator, has compared KRAS to "a shiny ball": "You can't stick anything to it. It just kind of slides off," Pant said in a recent interview with Managed Healthcare Executive.

Daraxonrasib is the first of a new class of "RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitors"—drugs that switch off the active form of the protein across multiple KRAS variants, and even in tumors with no detectable RAS mutation. That makes it potentially relevant for virtually every patient with pancreatic cancer, regardless of their tumor's genetic profile.

The Phase 3 RASolute 302 trial, run by California-based Revolution Medicines and published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine, randomized 500 patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who had progressed on prior treatment.

They received either oral daraxonrasib 300 mg once daily or an investigator's choice of standard intravenous chemotherapy.

The results were stark:

• Overall survival in patients with RAS G12 mutations: 13.2 months on daraxonrasib versus 6.6 months on chemotherapy
• Progression-free survival: 7.3 months versus 3.5 months
• Hazard ratio for death: 0.40, equating to a 60 percent reduction in risk
• Treatment discontinuation due to side effects: 1.2 percent for daraxonrasib versus 11.2 percent for chemotherapy

Maker Revolution Medicines funded the study.

ASCO chief medical officer Julie R. Gralow, M.D., called the data "much more than a home run." She told reporters on Saturday: "I've heard this study described as a home run a lot. I would actually say it's a grand slam."

Dr. Rachna Shroff, chief of hematology/oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and ASCO's selected commentator on the study, described it as "a game changer in pancreatic cancer."

"Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying in clinic. This is such an incredibly impactful study for our patients," she said.

Dr. Anna Berkenblit, chief scientific and medical officer at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, called the data "the most significant advance we have ever seen in pancreatic cancer.

What Happens Next

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to expedite review of the drug.

The FDA is allowing “expanded access” to the experimental drug for patients who meet certain criteria. The agency has granted daraxonrasib Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Orphan Drug Designation, and selected it for its Commissioner's National Priority Voucher program, which could accelerate its review.

Researchers are now testing daraxonrasib in earlier lines of treatment, in combination with chemotherapy, and in other RAS-driven cancers including lung, colon and ovarian.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.