On August 26 the FDA approved daraxonrasib, the first RAS-targeted therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer. In its Phase 3 trial of 500 patients, median overall survival was 13.2 months on the drug against 6.7 months on chemotherapy (hazard ratio 0.40).

Daraxonrasib hits several forms of RAS. The next question for the field is whether drugs aimed at one specific mutation, KRAS G12D, can do better. Industry has already bet that they can. We counted the trials.

How fast did KRAS G12D trials take off?

We searched ClinicalTrials.gov for trials whose intervention fields mention KRAS G12D and counted those with an actual start date, by year and phase.

Phase 1 or otherPhase 2 (includes 1/2)Phase 3 (includes 2/3)

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, queried October 19, 2026. A one-term search. It matches intervention text, so a few trials that are not G12D-specific are included, and trials that use other wording are missed. Entries with estimated start dates (16 across 2025 to 2027) are excluded. One 2013 and one 2019 start are outside the chart.

View data

year	p1	p2	p3
2021	1	2	0
2022	2	1	0
2023	2	0	0
2024	15	9	0
2025	4	8	2
2026	3	10	7

That is 24 starts in 2024 against 2 in 2023, a twelve-fold jump in a year. Of the 2024 starts, 15 were Phase 1. In 2026 only 3 of 20 are. The count of actual starts in 2025 (14) is lower than in 2024 (24), but the mix moved: the first two Phase 3 trials started in 2025 and seven more in 2026.

The surge began well before the August approval, so the approval did not cause it. The 2024 starts include small-molecule inhibitors and T-cell receptor therapies from many different sponsors.

What did the latest data show?

On October 14 Verastem reported initial data for VS-7375, an oral KRAS G12D inhibitor, in a Phase 1/2 trial. At 900 mg daily, 22 patients with second-line or later metastatic pancreatic cancer had a 41% confirmed response rate, with 6.4 months of median follow-up. Among eight second-line patients the confirmed rate was 50%.

Those are small, single-arm numbers released by the company. A response rate in 22 patients cannot be compared with the survival result of a 500-patient randomized trial. Verastem has said it plans a Phase 3 start by the end of 2026, and the register already lists a Phase 2 study of VS-7375 in pancreatic cancer.

Who is running the Phase 3 trials?

Among the 2026 Phase 3 entries are Revolution Medicines trials that combine zoldonrasib with daraxonrasib or with chemotherapy, a Phase 3 of GFH375 against docetaxel in non-small cell lung cancer, and a Phase 3 that adds INCB161734 to chemotherapy. The register shows more than one tumor type in play. We did not tabulate cancer types or sponsors, so treat this as examples, not a count.

What this does and does not show

The chart counts registered trials, not patients or successes. Early-phase trials fail often, and a crowded field can mean many programs share a few real winners. Start dates are sponsor-entered and sometimes lag. The VS-7375 numbers come from the company through OncLive, not a peer-reviewed paper. Nothing here shows that a G12D-selective drug beats daraxonrasib, which is already approved.

Sources

1. ClinicalTrials.gov, intervention search "KRAS G12D", API v2 query on October 19, 2026: 85 studies in total; counts by start year and phase recomputed in code.
2. FDA, FDA approves daraxonrasib for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, August 26, 2026: RASolute 302 (NCT06625320), 500 patients, median OS 13.2 versus 6.7 months, HR 0.40.
3. OncLive, VS-7375 elicits responses in KRAS G12D-mutated pancreatic cancer, October 14, 2026: 41% confirmed response in 22 patients, 50% in 8 second-line patients. Secondary source for company data.
4. Kelin Research, Biotech Morning Brief, October 15, 2026: Verastem plans a Phase 3 start by the end of 2026 (secondary source).