Intermountain Health Cancer Centers of Colorado at St. Mary’s Regional Hospital announced it is the first cancer center in western Colorado approved to offer select patients with pancreatic cancer access to daraxonrasib.

Daraxonrasib is a novel therapy that is changing expectations for one of the deadliest cancers, Intermountain Health said in a July 29 news release.

“We are thrilled to have early access to a promising and desperately needed therapy for our patients with pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Ned Jones, an Intermountain Health hematologist/oncologist.

Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, Jones said, when the disease is typically incurable. Even for patients diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer, many will not be cured.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 67,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, and more than 52,000 die from the disease. It is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Jones pointed to results presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting this year where clinical trial data for daraxonrasib demonstrated unprecedented improvements in survival outcomes. The therapy nearly doubled overall survival of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer treated in the second-line setting compared to standard chemotherapy.

According to the news release, the study did not investigate patients with localized disease or advanced pancreatic cancer treated in the upfront/first-line setting. In those settings, daraxonrasib is only currently used as part of a clinical trial.

Daraxonrasib remains an investigational therapy and has not received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the news release said. An Expanded Access Program provides a pathway for certain eligible patients who have exhausted appropriate standard treatment options to receive the investigational therapy outside of a clinical trial.

Access requires a physician request and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis according to program eligibility requirements. Currently, the medication has been tested through all phases of clinical trials to evaluate safety and efficacy.

Jones said physicians at Intermountain St. Mary’s remain vigilant in following emerging research and novel treatment options.

By offering daraxonrasib in Grand Junction, Intermountain Health is helping patients across western Colorado obtain cutting-edge care closer to home without leaving the region.

“This is about more than a new drug. It’s about giving patients more time and more options,” said Dr. Alicia Swink, regional oncology senior medical director for Intermountain Health. “For a long time, pancreatic cancer has been one of the toughest cancers we face. Seeing new advancements like this gives us real hope.”