Daraxonrasib is an experimental targeted therapy that fights pancreatic cancer by “turning off” a protein that acts like a broken growth switch inside cancer cells.
The Problem: In about 90% of pancreatic cancers, a protein called RAS (often KRAS) develops a mutation. Normally, this protein acts as a switch that tells cells when to grow. In cancer, the switch gets stuck in the “ON” position, sending a constant, out-of-control signal for cells to multiply and spread.
The “Molecular Glue” Solution: For decades, scientists found this “on” switch impossible to grab onto (calling it “undruggable”). Daraxonrasib works by pairing up with another protein already in your body (cyclophilin A) to create a “molecular glue”. This duo can finally latch onto the active RAS protein and physically block it from sending growth signals.
Pan-RAS Targeting: While some drugs only target one specific type of mutation, daraxonrasib is a “pan-RAS” inhibitor. It can block many different versions of the RAS mutation (like G12D, G12V, and G12R), making it effective for a much wider range of patients.
Targets the “ON” State: Many older experimental drugs tried to catch the protein while it was “off.” Daraxonrasib is designed to hit the protein while it is actively driving the cancer.
Survival Impact: In a major Phase 3 clinical trial (RASolute 302), the drug nearly doubled the overall survival time for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer compared to standard chemotherapy—increasing it from roughly 6.7 months to 13.2 months.
Availability: As of May 2026, the drug is not yet fully FDA-approved but is being fast-tracked. The FDA recently authorized an Expanded Access Program (EAP), allowing some eligible patients to access the drug while the final approval process continues.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dire diagnoses in medicine. There are few available treatments, and they do little to help. For decades, experimental drugs flopped in trials. Many researchers believed the biological obstacles could not be surmounted.
In what seems the blink of an eye, all that has changed. A drug nearing regulatory approval, daraxonrasib, is the first to substantially extend the lives of patients with pancreatic cancer. It works by targeting a cellular protein that fuels not just nearly all pancreatic tumors, but also many lung and colon cancers. Those three are the leading causes of cancer deaths.
I bought a $60,000 pickup truck and I’m too afraid to drive it.
It’s not a fear in the sense I’m deadly afraid of the truck. It has a nice solid ride, though the solid front axle takes some getting used to on the rough roads. But maybe it’s more of a distaste to driving it.
I like big trucks. But I don’t love driving particularly much. Just so much traffic, stop lights, speed traps and cops watching your every move. Especially in the cities. Driving on the open road, out in the country, away from the multi-line interstates and urban traffic is a different experience.
I had to drive in today to get that chain link for my bike after I got scammed on Amazon with cheap Chinese crap. Never buy bike parts online unless they are a widely established brand, the same one you’d find at your local bike store. But I sure resented having to drive in today, all that gas wasted, the city traffic. I intentionally was late for work, because I didn’t want to deal with traffic, and I knew after 9 AM traffic oudl be light. And drove to the bike store through the ghetto to avoid getting on the expressway at rush hour. It was fine, but I don’t want to live during my working years where I have to drive every day to get to work. But one day once and while isn’t bad – especially with my suburban office with acres of free parking and not the traffic hastles of downtown.
Driving down to Hudson on Sunday, to check out all those preserves and parks, I realized how much I like the SuperDuty. It is wonderful on the open road, the big truck is solid and powerful. It has great visibility with the mirrors, and its a truck, plain and simple. It will be great once I get the camper shell. Only a few more weeks. I do miss seeing the countryside, it was a long winter after I took Big Red off the road. And out on the open road, the SuperDuty got reasonable gas milage – 15.7 MPG – and that included some stop and go traffic in Hudson and a few other places. Longer trips, especially on the highway, I might do even better. Really pretty fair for such a big truck, that I am using recreational and not for commuting.
Still every time you turn on the news, it’s just one more reminder about how gas prices are going up. Facebook has plenty of posts about people saying their HD gasser trucks towing a big heavy camper gets 8 or 9 MPG. And don’t you know if you bleed the 34 gallon gas tank down to 1 gallon, it’s going to cost $165 to fill up to the top at $5 a gallon. Simple math. And some people are predicting, $6, $7, hell even $10 gas, and in the west coast, especially base case California that relies heavily on Middle Eastern Oil and special lower-smog blends, it’s going to be pricey. But I topped of the tank in the SuperDuty – granted only a hair below half empty – for $83 the other day. Somehow that didn’t seem that painful. And the gas gage said 460 miles to empty, which also seemed so reassuring.
