India, Aug. 27 -- The US has approved the first drug to hit the molecular cause of most pancreatic cancers, a once-daily pill that in its pivotal trial extended survival to 13.2 months from 6.7 months on standard chemotherapy - close to a doubling in a disease whose median survival has scarcely moved in a generation.

The drug is daraxonrasib, made by Revolution Medicines and to be marketed in the US as Rasonque. The US Food and Drug Administration cleared it on Wednesday for adults with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who have received at least one prior systemic therapy, or who cannot tolerate chemotherapy.

Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of about 13% in the US, one of the lowest of any major cancer, accordi...