Ten Intermountain Health hospitals in Utah, Colorado, and Montana are joining a national Expanded Access Protocol to provide eligible patients with advanced pancreatic cancer access to a new drug, according to an August 11 statement. The drug, daraxonrasib, nearly doubled patient survival rates in initial clinical trials.
Intermountain Health oncologists stated that daraxonrasib appears to be a breakthrough in treating pancreatic cancer, a disease that is often difficult to treat and carries one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. Mark Lewis, MD, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Health, described the treatment as a paradigm shift and a potential game changer for the disease.
Daraxonrasib is an investigational targeted therapy taken orally every day. It is designed to address specific genetic mutations, specifically Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations, which are present in more than 90% of pancreatic cancers. Researchers found that the drug can shut down growth signals generated by mutated KRAS, which may prevent cancer cells from growing and spreading.
Clinical trial results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual conference in May involved 500 patients. The study found that as a second line of treatment, daraxonrasib doubled survival time for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, increasing it from 6.7 months to 13.2 months. However, the study did not investigate patients with localized disease or those treated in a first-line setting.
The participating Intermountain Health hospitals selected for this protocol include:
Intermountain Alta View Hospital, Sandy, Utah
Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, Utah
Intermountain Layton Hospital, Layton, Utah
Intermountain LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City
Intermountain Lutheran Hospital, Wheat Ridge, Colo.
Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital, Ogden, Utah
Intermountain Saint Joseph Hospital, Denver
Intermountain St. Mary’s Hospital, Grand Junction, Colo.
Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital, St. George, Utah
Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital, Billings, Mont.
These facilities were chosen based on their expertise in clinical research, precision medicine, and comprehensive cancer treatment.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 67,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer annually, and more than 52,000 die from the disease, making it the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Participation in the Expanded Access Protocol allows eligible patients to receive the medication before it reaches broader commercial availability. Patient participation requires a physician request and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis according to program eligibility requirements.
