Pacira Pharmaceuticals Announces EXPAREL Expected to be Commercially Available in April 2012

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. PCRX today provided updated timing for its commercial launch of EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a non-opioid analgesic that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia. Since FDA approval of EXPAREL in October 2011, Pacira has continued to execute its pre-commercial launch strategy focused on the broad hospital market and has undertaken initiatives to expand and enhance its ability to efficiently manufacture commercial quantities of EXPAREL. As planned, Pacira has hired and trained a sales force and will proceed with a formulary-access driven launch strategy, beginning with a national sales meeting this week. Due to commercial manufacturing challenges, which Pacira is confident it can address, the company projects product availability in April 2012, by which time Pacira expects it will have manufactured sufficient product to meet customer demands at launch.