For people living with metastatic pancreatic cancer, time is often measured in months rather than years. Now, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has taken an unusual step that could help shorten the wait for promising new treatments without lowering safety standards.

The agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has begun a phased review of daraxonrasib, an experimental medicine for patients whose metastatic pancreatic cancer has continued to worsen despite previous treatment. A phased review allows regulators to examine scientific evidence in stages as it becomes available instead of waiting for the entire application to be submitted at once.

The decision follows results from a Phase 3 clinical trial comparing daraxonrasib with standard chemotherapy in previously treated patients. A Phase 3 trial is a large study designed to determine whether a new treatment works better than current care and whether it remains safe.

According to the EMA, people whose metastatic pancreatic cancer progresses after earlier treatment have "very limited treatment options and a poor prognosis, with a life expectancy of about six months." That stark reality is why the medicine has been recognised as a high priority under the agency's Cancer Medicines Pathfinder programme.

Unlike a shortcut, the phased review is more like reading chapters of a book as they are written, allowing experts to begin their assessment earlier. The medicine must still meet exactly the same standards for quality, safety and effectiveness before any approval can be granted.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the world's deadliest cancers. The World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society note that the disease is often diagnosed only after it has spread because early symptoms are vague, making effective treatment especially difficult.

Daraxonrasib is a new type of targeted medicine that aims to block specific proteins that drive cancer, instead of harming all fast-growing cells, which researchers believe could lead to better results for certain patients. Scientists have spent years refining such therapies after earlier laboratory and clinical efforts struggled to target these difficult cancer pathways effectively.

The EMA said the review of daraxonrasib will also test provisions of the European Union's proposed pharmaceutical reforms, which aim to make regulatory evaluations more agile while preserving scientific rigour. Although no timeline has been set and approval is far from guaranteed, experts believe earlier assessment could bring effective medicines to patients sooner if the evidence ultimately proves strong enough.