The U.S. Food and Drug Administration headquarters is shown in Silver Spring, Md. The FDA announced Wednesday it has approved a new treatment for those with advanced pancreatic cancer. File photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE
Aug. 26 (UPI) -- On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of Rasonque, a new treatment option for people with advanced pancreatic cancer.
A tablet taken once a day, the medication targets forms of a protein called RAS, which is a key driver of tumor growth in many patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common form of the cancer, the FDA said. This form of cancer develops in cells lining the ducts of the pancreas.
"Today's approval provides a critical new option for patients facing an extraordinarily difficult and historically hard-to-treat cancer," said Kyle Diamantas, acting commissioner of the FDA. "It is our fundamental duty to deliver more cures and meaningful treatments to patients as quickly as possible."
A press release from the FDA said the approval demonstrates the agency's "commitment to moving with urgency, reducing unnecessary delays and advancing innovative treatments."
