FDA approves landmark pancreatic cancer drug that's shown to improve survival

U.S. health officials have approved a groundbreaking pancreatic cancer drug that offers a new approach to treating the deadly form of cancer, by blocking a protein that fuels tumor growth in the vast majority of cases.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2742x1827+0+0/resize/2742x1827!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9d%2F8e%2F4f19d19c47ecb6b05a6efe23b65b%2Fap26222551894866.jpg' alt='FILE - A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is displayed outside their offices in Silver Spring, Md., Dec. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)'/><p>U.S. health officials have approved a groundbreaking pancreatic cancer drug that offers a new approach to treating the deadly form of cancer, by blocking a protein that fuels tumor growth in the vast majority of cases.</p><p>(Image credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-140410' />