Cancer Centers Race To Access Revolution Medicines' Pancreatic Cancer Treatment: Report - Revolution Medi

* Revolution Medicines stock is taking a hit today. Why is RVMD stock falling? In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the company's expanded access program for its experimental pancreatic cancer drug, daraxonrasib. In April, Revolution Medicines shared positive topline results from its Phase 3 RASolute 302 trial of daraxonrasib for metastatic pancreatic cancer. In the RASolute 302 trial, daraxonrasib showed statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival, both critical endpoints for cancer therapies. Daraxonrasib demonstrated a median overall survival of 13.2 months compared to 6.7 months for standard chemotherapy. Trial Results Drive Patient Interest Doctors across major cancer institutions said patient demand surged immediately after the announcement. Citing data from the American Cancer Society, about 67,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, while roughly 53,000 are projected to die from the disease. "The public caught wind of the FDA announcement ... which has triggered a deluge of patient requests," a medical oncologist told Reuters. Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse recently disclosed that he has Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is currently taking the experimental drug. Hospitals Face Operational Challenges Despite growing optimism, oncologists said the compassionate use process remains complex and resource-intensive. Doctors must submit individual patient requests to Revolution Medicines, which the company, the FDA and institutional review boards then review. Hospitals must also monitor patients receiving treatment under the program. Reuters noted that Revolution Medicines said it expects demand to remain high throughout the program and that physician requests will receive responses within two business days. CEO Mark Goldsmith told Reuters the company is making a "full-throttle effort" toward a complete FDA submission but did not provide a timeline for formal approval. RVMD Price Action: Revolution Medicines shares were down 3.47% at $144.28 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro. Over the past month, RVMD has declined about 5.41% versus a 6.6% rise in the S&P 500 and is up roughly 80% year-to-date compared to the index's 8.1% gain. Photo Courtesy: mi_viri on Shutterstock.com Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.