Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the clinical and commercial development of new products to address the needs of acute care practitioners and their patients. Pacira is driven by a dynamic workforce committed to optimizing patient care and satisfaction in the acute care setting, with a special focus on improving outcomes in postsurgical pain management.

A Proprietary Drug Delivery Platform

The cornerstone of the Pacira product portfolio is DepoFoam^®, a proprietary drug delivery platform designed to extend a medication’s duration of action without altering its molecular structure. The DepoFoam carrier matrix is made up of multivesicular liposomes that encapsulate a drug. Each chamber is separated by lipid membranes that naturally erode to release the drug over a desired period of time.

A First-of-Its-Kind, Single-Dose Local Analgesic

In 2012, Pacira successfully launched EXPAREL^® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), the first and only DepoFoam-based local analgesic. Broadly indicated for administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia in a variety of surgeries where infiltration is appropriate, EXPAREL provides long-lasting pain control that can reduce opioid requirements without the need for catheters or pumps.

Shifting the Postsurgical Pain Management Paradigm

With 99% of patients receiving postsurgical opioids¹ and one in 15 of those patients going on to long-term use, the burden of opioids has reached epidemic proportions.^2,3 The use of opioids for postsurgical pain has opened the floodgates, adding a cascade of new users to the 5.1 million Americans who already abuse prescription painkillers every day.⁴ Pacira is committed to working to address this growing societal burden by providing clinicians with a nonopioid option to control pain and reduce opioid requirements in the immediate postsurgical setting, when effective, consistent analgesia is most critical. The company’s efforts are buoyed by a groundswell movement led by government and independent health care organizations that are recommending a shift to opioid-sparing pain management regimens in order to mitigate patient exposure to unwanted and potentially severe side effects, including abuse, addiction and overdose.

The Pacira Advantage

Discovery, innovation and proprietary expertise are the hallmarks of the Pacira competitive advantage. The company not only holds the exclusive rights to and expertise in DepoFoam, but owns the unique distinction of being the only company in the world with the ability to manufacture DepoFoam-based products, such as EXPAREL, on a large commercial scale. With increasing demand and a growing list of potential clinical applications, Pacira and EXPAREL are poised to become vital fixtures in the postsurgical pain management arena.

For more information about Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., visit www.pacira.com.

Important Safety Information for EXPAREL

EXPAREL is contraindicated in obstetric paracervical block anesthesia. EXPAREL has not been studied for use in patients younger than 18 years of age.

Non–bupivacaine-based local anesthetics, including lidocaine, may cause an immediate release of bupivacaine from EXPAREL if administered together locally. The administration of EXPAREL may follow the administration of lidocaine after a delay of 20 minutes or more. Formulations of bupivacaine other than EXPAREL should not be administered within 96 hours following administration of EXPAREL.

Monitoring of cardiovascular and neurologic status as well as vital signs should be performed during and after injection of EXPAREL, as with other local anesthetic products.

Because amide-type local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine, are metabolized by the liver, EXPAREL should be used cautiously in patients with hepatic disease. Patients with severe hepatic disease, because of their inability to metabolize local anesthetics normally, are at a greater risk for developing toxic plasma concentrations.

In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥10%) following EXPAREL administration were nausea, constipation and vomiting.

References

1. Kessler ER, et al. Pharmacotherapy. 2013;33:383-391.
2. Carroll I, et al. Anesth Analg. 2012;115:694-702.
3. Alam A, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172:425-430.
4. National Institutes of Health. Popping pills: prescription drug abuse in America. www.drugabuse.gov/​related-topics/​trends-statistics/​infographics/​popping-pills-prescription-drug-abuse-in-america. Updated January 2014. Accessed June 10, 2016.

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This corporate profile was reviewed and approved by Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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