Pacira Pharmaceuticals

What Pacira Pharmaceuticals does

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a US-based pharmaceutical company that operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacira BioSciences, Inc. The company's sole commercial product is EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a non-opioid, long-acting local analgesic administered as a single injection by a surgeon or anesthesiologist during surgical procedures. EXPAREL uses a proprietary multivesicular liposome delivery system that encapsulates bupivacaine and slowly releases it at the surgical site for up to four days, providing postsurgical pain relief and reducing or eliminating the need for opioid medications. The product is approved for use in adult postsurgical pain management and, per current labeling, in pediatric patients aged six years and older, across procedure types including orthopedic (total knee, Achilles, ACL), cosmetic (abdominoplasty), foot, and general surgery.

Pacira generates revenue exclusively through product sales of EXPAREL to US hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and prescribing surgeons/anesthesiologists; the website explicitly states the product is intended for US residents only, so the geographic footprint is single-country. The go-to-market combines an enterprise field-sales motion targeting healthcare professionals and institutions (supported by a dedicated HCP site, exparelpro.com) with a direct-to-consumer layer (exparel.com) that includes a Find-a-Doctor locator, Doctor Discussion Guide, and personalized pain-plan tools designed to drive patient-initiated demand. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; patients are directed to verify insurance coverage and offered financial-support resources. Patient testimonials and outcome claims (including 78% fewer opioids used in clinical trials and potential for earlier hospital discharge) are central to the marketing narrative, positioning EXPAREL as the leading non-opioid postsurgical pain alternative.

Name

Pacira Pharmaceuticals

Legal name

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Website

https://exparel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacira BioSciences, Inc., markets EXPAREL, a single-dose, non-opioid bupivacaine liposome injectable for US postsurgical pain management across adult and pediatric (6+) patients, sold to hospitals and surgical centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Postsurgical Pain Management Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541)

akta.pro primary industry

Pain Management & Anesthesiology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAN)

Keywords

• Non-opioid pain management
• Postsurgical pain relief
• Liposome injectable suspension
• Bupivacaine pharmaceutical
• Long-acting local anesthetic

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. EXPAREL Product Sales: Pacira Pharmaceuticals generates revenue through the sale of EXPAREL, a prescription pharmaceutical product. The product is administered as a single injection during surgery by healthcare providers in hospital and surgical center settings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pacira Pharmaceuticals manufactures and sells EXPAREL, a bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension administered as a single dose during surgery by healthcare professionals. It provides non-opioid, long-lasting postsurgical pain relief for up to four days at the surgical site using proprietary multivesicular liposome drug delivery technology.

Product overview

Pacira Pharmaceuticals offers a single pharmaceutical product, EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), which is a non-opioid postsurgical pain management solution. EXPAREL is administered as a one-time injection during surgery and provides long-lasting pain relief (up to 4 days) by slowly releasing bupivacaine at the surgical site. The company also provides associated patient support services including a Find a Doctor locator tool, financial support resources, and educational materials to support the EXPAREL treatment journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EXPAREL: Bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension - a long-lasting, non-opioid injection given during surgery to help manage postsurgical pain. Provides relief for up to 4 days following surgery.

Products and services

• EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) EXPAREL is a long-lasting, non-opioid analgesic injection administered as a single dose by a doctor during surgery. It uses multivesicular liposome technology to slowly release bupivacaine at the surgical site, providing postsurgical pain relief for up to four days. It is indicated for adults and pediatric patients aged 6 years or older undergoing various surgical procedures including orthopedic, cosmetic, foot, and general surgeries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% fewer opioids used in clinical trials (patients taking EXPAREL)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Heron Therapeutics: Heron Therapeutics develops and commercializes Zynrelef (bupivacaine and meloxicam) extended-release solution, the closest direct competitor to EXPAREL in the long-acting postsurgical local anesthetic category. Both companies target surgeons and anesthesiologists in hospital/surgical center settings with single-dose intraoperative products.

Broad incumbents

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex launched Journavx (suzetrigine), a first-in-class non-opioid systemic acute pain drug. While systemic (not local), it targets the same prescriber mindset shift away from opioids in postsurgical settings and competes for surgeon and formulary attention with EXPAREL.
• Pfizer (Hospira): Pfizer, through Hospira, manufactures and distributes standard bupivacaine injectable formulations that compete on price as the generic alternative to EXPAREL in postsurgical analgesia. As one of the largest hospital injectable suppliers, it shapes formulary positioning that EXPAREL must defend against.
• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries: Teva supplies generic injectable anesthetics including bupivacaine, the commodity alternative to EXPAREL. As a broad incumbent in the hospital injectable market, Teva's pricing and contracting influence the share that branded specialty products like EXPAREL can capture.

Emerging players

• Durect Corporation: Durect has a long-acting postoperative local anesthetic program (POSIDUR / sustained-release bupivacaine). It is comparable to Pacira as a developer of extended-release injectable postsurgical pain products targeting the same hospital-administered setting.
• Innocoll Pharmaceuticals: Innocoll developed/marketed Xaracoll, a bupivacaine collagen-matrix implant for postsurgical pain. It competes in the same hospital-administered, intraoperative, long-duration postsurgical analgesia category as EXPAREL for certain surgical procedures.
• AcelRx Pharmaceuticals: AcelRx developed DSUVIA (sufentanil sublingual) and other acute-pain programs targeting postsurgical settings. It overlaps with EXPAREL on the surgeon-defined postsurgical pain management category, though via a different mechanism and route of administration.
• Concentric Analgesics: Concentric Analgesics is developing CA-008 (vocacapsaicin), a non-opioid long-acting postsurgical analgesic. It is a focused emerging competitor in the same therapeutic category as EXPAREL with overlapping use cases in postsurgical pain management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exparel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pacira Pharmaceuticals