Pacira BioSciences Announces Settlement of Government Investigation
Pacira to Pay $3.5 Million to Settle Various Claims with No Admission of Wrongdoing
PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCRX), a leading provider of innovative non-opioid pain management options, today announced settlement agreements that resolve all outstanding investigations and claims by the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, various States Attorneys’ General, and a private plaintiff. This agreement concludes a five-year investigation related to the sale and marketing of EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), the company’s long-acting non-opioid local analgesic for postsurgical pain management.
The agreements were approved by United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Under the various settlement agreements, Pacira will pay an aggregate of approximately $3.5 million. Pacira expressly denies all allegations and contentions and has admitted no wrongdoing in connection with the settlement agreements.
“We are pleased to turn the page and put this multi-year investigation behind us,” said Kristen Williams, chief administrative officer and corporate secretary of Pacira. “Pacira is highly committed to legal and regulatory compliance while remaining steadfast in our commitment to providing a non-opioid option for postsurgical pain management.”
About Pacira BioSciences
Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCRX) is a leading provider of non-opioid pain management and regenerative health solutions dedicated to advancing and improving outcomes for health care practitioners and their patients. The company’s long-acting local analgesic, EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) was commercially launched in the United States in April 2012. EXPAREL utilizes DepoFoam®, a unique and proprietary product delivery technology that encapsulates drugs without altering their molecular structure, and releases them over a desired period of time. In April 2019, Pacira acquired the iovera°® system, a handheld cryoanalgesia device used to deliver precise, controlled doses of cold temperature only to targeted nerves. To learn more about Pacira, including the corporate mission to reduce overreliance on opioids, visit
About EXPAREL
EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is indicated for single-dose infiltration in adults to produce postsurgical local analgesia and as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block to produce postsurgical regional analgesia. Safety and efficacy have not been established in other nerve blocks. The product combines bupivacaine with DepoFoam, a proven product delivery technology that delivers medication over a desired time period. EXPAREL represents the first and only multivesicular liposome local anesthetic that can be utilized in the peri- or postsurgical setting. By utilizing the DepoFoam platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time, providing significant reductions in cumulative pain scores with up to a 78 percent decrease in opioid consumption; the clinical benefit of the opioid reduction was not demonstrated. Additional information is available at .
Important Safety Information for Patients
EXPAREL should not be used in obstetrical paracervical block anesthesia. In studies where EXPAREL was injected into the wound, the most common side effects were nausea, constipation, and vomiting. In studies where EXPAREL was injected near a nerve, the most common side effects were nausea, fever, and constipation. EXPAREL is not recommended to be used in patients younger than 18 years old or in pregnant women. Tell your healthcare provider if you have liver disease, since this may affect how the active ingredient (bupivacaine) in EXPAREL is eliminated from your body. EXPAREL should not be injected into the spine, joints, or veins. The active ingredient in EXPAREL: can affect your nervous system and your cardiovascular system; may cause an allergic reaction; may cause damage if injected into your joints.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about the company’s future expectations, plans, outlook, projections and prospects, and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “can” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks relating to: the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 (Coronavirus) epidemic and related global economic conditions on our business and results of operations; the success of the company’s sales and manufacturing efforts in support of the commercialization of EXPAREL; the rate and degree of market acceptance of EXPAREL; the size and growth of the potential markets for EXPAREL and the company’s ability to serve those markets; the company’s plans to expand the use of EXPAREL to additional indications and opportunities, and the timing and success of any related clinical trials; the cost and timing of an early termination payment to DePuy Synthes Sales, Inc.; the ability to realize anticipated benefits and synergies from the acquisition of MyoScience; the ability to successfully integrate iovera° and any other future acquisitions into the company’s existing business; the rate and degree of market acceptance of iovera°; the size and growth of the potential markets for iovera° and our ability to serve those markets; our plans to expand the use of iovera° to additional indications and opportunities, and the timing and success of any related clinical trials for iovera°; the commercial success of iovera° and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” of the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings that the company periodically makes with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the company’s views as of the date of this press release. Important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements, and as such the company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while the company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Investor Contact: Susan Mesco, (973) 451-4030 Media Contact: Coyne Public Relations Alyssa Schneider, (973) 588-2270
