Former Sen. Ben Sasse talks about dying, 'miracle drug' on '60 Minutes'

Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse is crediting a "miracle drug" currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration for helping him manage his pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis he announced in December.

The former Nebraska senator talked about his battle with cancer on the Sunday, April 26 episode of "60 Minutes," speaking with Scott Pelley. While doctors initially gave him three to four months left to live, he said he now has more time thanks to "providence, prayer, and a miracle drug."

Although the cancer has spread to other parts of his body, including his lungs and liver, the clinical trial drug doctors are treating him with – daraxonrasib – has helped, he said.

Experts say the drug could allow patients to get treatment for pancreatic cancer without as much toxicity as chemotherapy.

"I have much, much less pain than I had four months ago when I was diagnosed, and I have a massive 76% reduction in tumor volume over the last four months," Sasse said during the "60 Minutes" interview. "So maybe I'm going to crank and live a year instead of a handful of months."

He added that he is now taking a lot of morphine, which he is also grateful for.

"I've also got the benefit of this drug," he said. "I have a lot less tumor pressure on my spine. The combination of a great drug and morphine, another useful drug, I'm in so much less pain now than I was (from) Halloween to Thanksgiving."

What is daraxonrasib?

California-based company Revolution Medicines created the clinical trial drug. Patients who take daraxonrasib must take the daily drug orally, Revolution Medicines said on its website. 

Over 90% of patients who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have a mutation in a gene called KRAS, which is a type of gene in the RAS gene family, according to Dr. Christopher Lieu, an oncologist and professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Medicine.

While not involved in the clinical trial, Lieu spoke with the university in February about the drug and how it could change how doctors treat pancreatic cancer. The drug targets the RAS gene. 

"The drug binds to the activating pocket of (the gene mutation) and shuts it down," Lieu said. "It’s almost like if you have a bullhorn and you cover it up so no sound can escape. There’s a possibility that this targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer could work more effectively than chemotherapy, meaning it could be a treatment with potentially less toxicity."

On April 13, the company announced that among the clinical trial’s study population, patients who took daraxonrasib showed a median survival rate of 13.2 months, while those who undergo chemotherapy typically see 6.7 months.

The FDA still needs to determine if the drug is safe, and is conducting a review, according to the University of Colorado Anschutz. While the approval process typically takes 10 to 12 months, a new federal pilot program has allowed the FDA to expedite the process to one to two months.

Watch the Ben Sasse '60 Minutes' interview

Ben Sasse announced 'death sentence' in December

Sasse revealed his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in a December 2025 X post, calling it a "death sentence."

"But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do," he wrote at the time. "I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the (jaw-dropping) advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more."

When asked on Sunday’s "60 Minutes" episode if he prays for a miracle, Sasse said it’s not his biggest prayer, but he does pray for one.

He added that he’s also grateful for the changes his diagnosis has made in his life. He tells himself the truth more these days, he said. When asked if he had another 30 years to live, he said he would probably work with his daughters and build a space that’s similar to a family compound. He’d also travel less for work.

He has a collection of thousands of hotel room keys, remnants of the time he spent on the road due to work obligations.

"Sometimes I just look at it and feel a heaviness of regret," he said. "I would make better decisions about that … I would continue to think and write about the digital revolution that we're entering and going to pass through, because I think we come out on the other side richer and more textured, but it’s going to be a big bifurcation."

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at[email protected].