New Drug Offers Hope to Pancreatic Cancer Patients
When Rachelle Gardner learned about a new experimental drug for pancreatic cancer, she tried to temper her expectations. Key questions crossed her mind. Could she qualify for the medication? Would the hospital be able to provide it? Would she survive long enough to receive it?
In late July, her questions were answered. At City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago, Gardner shook three light blue pills from a bottle, swallowing them one by one with water. She declared cheerfully after taking the last pill, “To good health and getting rid of that cancer bug!” Gardner, a 59-year-old teacher for visually impaired students from Milwaukee, expressed that the drug gave her a “new sense of hope.”
Gardner is among many patients in Illinois and nationwide who have recently begun receiving the experimental drug. Named daraxonrasib, this medication is viewed as a potential breakthrough for treating pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers. Although it doesn’t cure the disease, it offers patients the possibility of extended life. Pancreatic cancer often limits life expectancy to mere months once it spreads beyond the pancreas. Clinical trials of daraxonrasib showed that patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, who had previous treatments, lived a median of 13 months post-enrollment, compared to six months with additional chemotherapy.
Dr. Evan Pisick at City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago referred to this development as the most significant progress in addressing pancreatic cancer in decades. “This is a game changer. This is the first targeted therapy beyond chemotherapy that we can offer,” Pisick said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug yet, but the FDA allows Revolution Medicines to offer it to eligible metastatic pancreatic cancer patients under an expanded access program. Physicians submit requests for the drug on behalf of individual patients, and it is provided at no cost to those within the program.
Gardner is among several patients at City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago receiving the drug, according to Pisick. Other Illinois health systems offering the medication include Advocate Health Care, OSF HealthCare, Endeavor Health, and University of Chicago Medicine. UChicago Medicine served as a clinical trial site for the medication’s recent study.
Dr. Ardaman Shergill at UChicago Medicine highlighted the unprecedented nature of the drug’s ability to extend life for those who have exhausted other treatments. “In oncology, our aim is to help patients live longer. If you can extend life, that is golden,” Shergill stated. Patients reported improved pain, appetite, and energy with daraxonrasib compared to chemotherapy.
Mary Louise McAdams, an 84-year-old from Bronzeville, participated in the expanded access program. After being initially told she might have six months to a year to live, she turned to daraxonrasib following rough chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Now on the drug for about two weeks, McAdams hopes to prolong her life as much as possible to cherish time with her children and grandchildren.
Gardner reflected on her journey, recalling her diagnosis with Stage 1 pancreatic cancer after persistent symptoms led to more in-depth testing. After undergoing chemotherapy, a complex Whipple procedure, and more chemotherapy, she sought additional opinions from other hospitals, eventually staying with City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago.
In spring 2025, her cancer returned at Stage 4. After it became clear chemotherapy and radiation would no longer work, she learned City of Hope was applying for daraxonrasib for her, fueling her determination.
CEO Robert Stone of City of Hope stated, “Clinical trials and expanded access programs represent the best treatment options when discovery in cancer research progresses faster than regulatory approval.”
Gardner is hopeful for the future, taking the medication daily. She looks forward to more time with family, road trips, exploring new restaurants, and teaching. “There’s hope out there,” Gardner expressed.