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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Daraxonrasib, the oral RAS inhibitor recently FDA-approved for pancreatic cancer, is now showing encouraging results in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A phase 1/2 study found durable responses in previously treated, RAS-mutant NSCLC patients, with response rates around 31–37% across dose groups. Safety remains a concern — 54% of patients had grade 3+ adverse events — but a 200 mg dose is moving into a phase 3 trial against docetaxel.
Daraxonrasib (Rasonque), the pan-RAS inhibitor that just earned FDA approval for metastatic pancreatic cancer, is now turning heads in lung cancer. A phase 1/2 dose-escalation and expansion study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the oral drug induced durable responses in 136 patients with previously treated, RAS-mutant metastatic NSCLC — a population with few targeted options and historically poor outcomes on docetaxel-based therapy.
Across dose groups (120 mg or less, 160–220 mg, and 300 mg), objective response rates ranged from 31% to 37%. A key subgroup of patients who received 160–220 mg and hadn't yet received docetaxel showed an ORR of 42%, a median response duration of 11.5 months, and a median OS of 16 months — numbers that compare favorably to docetaxel's typical 9–12 month survival range.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: RAS mutations drive roughly 30% of NSCLC cases, yet most patients with non-G12C mutations have no approved targeted therapy. If the ongoing phase 3 RASolve 301 trial confirms these results against docetaxel, daraxonrasib could fill a major gap — and underscores why molecular testing is essential for every lung cancer patient.
