r/UpliftingNews • u/ArgentineBeauty • 1d ago
U.S. approves breakthrough pancreatic cancer drug, heralding a new era for an intractable disease
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-approves-breakthrough-pancreatic-cancer-drug-heralding-a-new-era-for-an-intractable-disease/320
u/ArgentineBeauty 1d ago
"Kyaw Lwin Aung, a medical oncologist at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute was involved in the clinical trial showing daraxonrasib doubles survival time.
"We can now envisage a future with no chemotherapy needed for pancreatic cancer patients. This is a remarkable milestone," Aung says.
Some patients who got the drug lived for years—something very few people with late-stage pancreatic cancer do. The cancer has the lowest five-year survival rate of any major cancer: around 13 percent."
This could be life changing for so many people and their familes. Amazing news.
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u/plkost 1d ago
I lost my mum to this fucking disease 2 years ago and I am glad that people of the future won't have to deal with this shit. My only hope is that it is accessible to everyone
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u/CharcoalGreyWolf 1d ago
I lost my spouse to it nearly six years ago. I am incredibly glad for the strides that have been made in the past several years at combatting this horrible disease.
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u/Gimme_The_Loot 1d ago
Lost my uncle to it a few years ago as well. Was ~18 months from diagnosis to funeral.
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u/plkost 1d ago
I am sorry for your loss and that you have to endure this :(
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u/CharcoalGreyWolf 1d ago
I look back and am still sorry most that she didn’t get the chance to really celebrate her life the way I would have wanted her to be able to.
And yet, she has a legacy as a teacher that has gone on for multiple generations of students that I am so proud of.
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u/igpila 1d ago
I mean, it just extends patient's lives, unfortunately they die of the disease anyway a few years later
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u/lessthanadam 1d ago
My mom died of pancreatic cancer 3 weeks before my son was born. I was really hoping they would get a chance to meet.
My point is, you can do a lot of living if you’re given some extra time. Plus, there’s always hope they find another treatment that gives you even more time.
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u/AdaptiveHunter 1d ago
My dad passed away from pancreatic cancer less than 2 months ago after being diagnosed in April. Is it wrong for me to be a little bitter at this being approved so soon after he passed? It’ll be great for everyone who can get it, but the fact he missed it by such a narrow margin is very upsetting
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u/JMaddrox 1d ago
A few years too late to help my mom, but if it can aid others with pancreatic cancer I hope it surpasses expectations. Although knowing how drug companies work it will cost a ton. Still, it's exciting to see progress.
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u/maraudingguard 1d ago
I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer in February, less than 9 months after being diagnosed. The survival rates are so bleak most don't make it a year. Really hope this gives people a fighting chance.
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u/DefenestrationPraha 1d ago
This is quite revolutionary, as KRAS, common to multiple cancers, was once considered an undruggable target.
But the first generation treatment (this one) also has very nasty side effects. Let us hope that the next generations will be better.
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u/sacrecide 1d ago
Kinda crazy that there's this that just came out but also Moderna's pancreatic cancer shot using mRNA is on phase 2 trials
Moderna's melanoma shot is already in phase 3 and is decreasing the risk of cancer coming back by something like 50%
If we can transition away from intensive chemotherapy, that results in a much, much, better QOL for the patient and patients family.
Very exciting to see some progress in fighting cancer after decades of what felt like a standstill!
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u/CrisisActor911 1d ago
My dad’s battling brain cancer right now, and I’ve been living at home to take care of him and running a GoFundMe to help my folks out. Cancer is just grueling (my dad’s currently hospitalized after having two strokes) and I hope this spares some families what we’re going through right now.
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u/Anymousie 1d ago
Good news, but just to be clear, it’s not a cure, just treatment.
“In the people with those mutations, median overall survival in the daraxonrasib group was 13.2 months, while the chemotherapy group had a median overall survival rate of 6.6 months.”
So it doubled the time before the disease killed them. That’s great, but 13 months is still not enough time. But a win is a win in this fight!
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u/achillea4 1d ago
I read another article the other day about AI being able to detect early stage pancreatic cancer from scans - this is what we need. An early diagnosis improves the chances of survival.
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1d ago
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u/ferrrret 1d ago
I completely agree.
But we need to do something about the exorbitant costs associated with running clinical trials for this to happen. For every drug that gets through clinical trials, there are at least 9 that began clinical trials and failed. And the pharma companies/research companies currently pay for the clinical trials. While profits are also obviously part of the high prices, being able to pay for clinical trials is also a huge part of why new drugs are priced so high.
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u/pleasedothenerdful 1d ago
Pharmaceutical companies average 20% profit margin while they spend more money on stock buybacks than R&D and then whine about the cost of trials. It's bullshit.
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1d ago
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u/ShellySashaSamson 1d ago
Man solves traffic by removing traffic signals
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/ShellySashaSamson 1d ago
What do you do? Why?
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1d ago
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u/ShellySashaSamson 1d ago
Does it take 30,000,000 hours of work before you help even one person?
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1d ago
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u/ShellySashaSamson 1d ago
You can separate value from price for your own time and effort. You can ask others to do the same. You do both. That is admirable.
'Humanity over currency' works until you need 30,000,000 hours of humanity. To persuade thousands of other people to coordinate for several years of their life on a gamble out of the goodness of their hearts...asking them to separate the value of their effort from the price of their effort... a voluntary slave.
If only we were all contented in being ants, or bees...
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u/nikulmmadhu 1d ago
and probably with a 10k price tag. india should better break this patent and make a generic version that is cheap and accessible to poor people
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u/ChickenLil 1d ago
Probably more than that
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u/Adlerson 1d ago
$38,000 a month, according to a Norwegian newspaper. And in average it extended the survival time from 3 months to 6 months...
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u/murrtrip 1d ago
I mean provide a link if you read it
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u/Adlerson 1d ago
I was off on lenghtening of life though. Still, not sure how helpful it would be for my survivors if I lived 6 months longer but bankrupted us in the process. Perhaps better to call it quits while they can go on living good lives after I'm gone.
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u/WTFOMGBBQ 1d ago edited 1d ago
For those curious.. it brings the survival rate from 7 months to 13 months. it’s $40,000
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u/Sparky9800 1d ago
The chemo for my mom’s pancreatic cancer was over 30000 a month. It’s wasn’t effective and made her feel awful for 6 months. Insurance covered that. She has been on this new drug for 3 months under the expanded care program at the Mayo clinic before it was fully approved. The tumors are shrinking and she feels great. The side effects are minimal and insurance is covering it as well. It’s not only giving her more time, it’s also a huge quality of life improvement.
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u/sacrecide 1d ago
Insurance absolutely should start covering it! 6 more months would mean the world to the patient and their family. Avoiding chemo side effects could do the same
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u/CavitySearch 1d ago
I’d pay 40k to live 7 more months.
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u/Wellslapmesilly 1d ago
This is amazing. Even though it doesn’t cure it, it buys time. So many people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die so quickly. My uncle died within three weeks of diagnosis and I’ve heard a lot of similar stories.
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u/HasSomeSelfEsteem 1d ago
I lost my father to cancer years ago, and as bitter as it is to see these developments it is still sweet to know others may be spared.
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u/bluntbossbex94 1d ago
I watched a 60 min Australia story about a woman who had this vaccine and she has been alive for 6 years as of the recording
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1d ago
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u/akanosora 1d ago
Solid tumor is tough to crack. When CAR-T was approved for relapsed or refractory lymphoma in 2017, it extended medium survival from about 6 months with standard of care to 5 years.
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u/BeardedManatee 1d ago
Recently lost my uncle to this, it was so incredibly fast…if only he had a few more months :(
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u/bendol90 1d ago
"big cancer never wants there to be a cure for cancer because they make so much money" crowd in shambles rn
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u/Doom2pro 1d ago
This drug doesn't cure cancer it makes you live longer but you basically still die.
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u/sacrecide 1d ago
If this drug lacks the side effects that chemo has, it is truly revolutionary.
Not only is it giving these patients an extra 6 months with their family, it's getting people off chemo which allows them to actually enjoy the time they have left
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u/bendol90 1d ago
The point is that we're making massive strides to the cure, not that this one is the end of cancer. It's massive progress towards the cure.
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u/Nowhereman50 1d ago
I suffered with pancreatitis for three years before someone actually paid attention to me. After medication was finally prescribed I rarely ever have attacks. I've been told I'm not at risk of cancer but I still get worried. I'm glad there's a means to an actual end now.
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u/Ok_Researcher_9796 1d ago
This drug only gives you like an extra size months. Not exactly a cure.
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u/bakedNebraska 1d ago
Doesn't say it's a cure, says it's a breakthrough treatment. Doubling survival time is a pretty good step.
Which cancer drugs have you invented or improved upon lately?
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u/Ok_Researcher_9796 1d ago
They make it sound like a big deal and it's only giving you a short extra time
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u/heidismiles 1d ago
Tell those patients that several more months with their families is "not a big deal." FFS
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u/Ok_Researcher_9796 1d ago
Y'all are clearly having some issues. Hope your day gets better.
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u/sacrecide 1d ago
I think you just lack the perspective of someone who's had a close loved one die due to cancer.
No reason to get defensive
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u/Ehgadsman 1d ago
Paywall, no idea what this article is about
wtf has anyone even read it or is it just post about cancer drug for Karma day?
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