Revolution Medicines, a 12-year-old biotech based in Redwood City, Calif., has stayed independent despite takeover interest, betting big on its own future. This week, that gamble paid off with FDA approval of Rasonque, its pancreatic cancer pill that nearly doubled patient survival rates in clinical trials.

Rev Med CEO Mark Goldsmith, a doctor-scientist who founded the company, said he was approached by financial institutions offering support to help bring Rasonque to global markets. When he told them the scale of funding needed, he didn’t expect them to return — but they did, expressing serious interest.

Rather than partner with large pharma, Rev Med has built its first-ever sales force, distribution network, and reimbursement operation from scratch. The company has also secured overseas manufacturing deals and is investing in multiple production lines to avoid supply bottlenecks.

Rasonque targets the RAS protein, long considered “undruggable,” which drives about a third of all cancers and over 90% of pancreatic tumors. In a 500-person study, patients on the drug lived a median of 13.2 months, nearly double the time of those on standard chemotherapy. Wall Street expects Rasonque — priced at over $477,000 per year’s supply — to generate more than $1 billion in sales as early as next year.