At ASCO, Daraxonrasib became one of the major stories in pancreatic cancer. But, according to Alan Sandler, Chief Development Officer at Revolution Medicines, the road to that moment began long before the drug entered the clinic.
An Unplanned Start
Revolution Medicines was initially intended to be an antifungal company. The early goal was to improve upon amphotericin.
That programme did not work out.
“Maybe the best thing that happened is that didn’t work out,” Sandler said. “They turned toward oncology and ultimately, specifically, toward RAS-addicted cancers.”
That shift was strengthened after the acquisition of Warp Bio, which helped shape the scientific direction behind the company’s tri-complex inhibitor approach.
The First Drug Into the Clinic
Daraxonrasib was the first drug from this approach to enter the clinic. Sandler said its first-in-human testing began in 2022.
From there, the development moved quickly.
“We’ve gone pretty rapidly from first-in-human testing in 2022 to a positive phase three trial in 2026,” he said. “Which is, you know, pretty rapid all along the way.”
For Sandler, that pace reflects the work of the people behind the programme.
“It’s really a tribute to the company and the people that have worked there tirelessly attempting to move the field forward,” he said.
Early Signs in Pancreatic Cancer
The phase I study gave the team an early indication that Daraxonrasib could have activity in previously treated pancreatic cancer.
Sandler noted that the response rates in the early study were in the mid-to-upper 30% range. He also pointed out that those early findings were not very different from what was later seen in the phase III study.
Rather than conducting a traditional phase II trial, the company expanded the phase I programme and moved directly toward a larger confirmatory study.
Moving Directly Into Phase III
Revolution Medicines then launched a global, multinational phase III trial comparing Daraxonrasib with chemotherapy in the second-line setting.
The results were presented at ASCO, marking the culmination of several years of clinical development.
“It’s sort of the culmination of the work,” Sandler said. “Something that the company and people there and investigators and all should be very proud of.”
Daraxonrasib at ASCO 2026: The Pancreatic Cancer Moment That Brought the Room to Its Feet
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