News Release

New Manufacturing Facility to Meet Future Demand Exceeding the Estimated $400 Million of Current Production Capacity

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 7, 2014-- Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) today announced entering into a strategic co-production partnership with Patheon, the pharmaceutical services business owned by DPx Holdings B.V., to manufacture and package EXPAREL^® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) at Patheon’s facility in Swindon, United Kingdom.

Under the co-production partnership agreements, Pacira and Patheon will collaborate to construct dedicated EXPAREL manufacturing suites in Patheon’s specialty sterile manufacturing facility in Swindon. The first additional EXPAREL manufacturing suite at Patheon, which is expected to come online in two to three years’ time, will be designed to mirror the recently approved Suite C manufacturing facility at the Pacira Science Center Campus in San Diego, providing, at scale, approximately $300 million of additional product manufacturing capacity, or an aggregate $700 million worth of overall production capacity for EXPAREL. The design and production scale of the second additional manufacturing suite will be determined at a future date.

Patheon will be responsible for the construction of the dedicated manufacturing suites, installation and validation of the manufacturing equipment and the commercial manufacture of EXPAREL.

Pacira will oversee the design and purchase of the dedicated EXPAREL manufacturing equipment to be installed in the Patheon facility, lead the technical transfer of the manufacturing process and govern, with on-site and other personnel, the oversight and optimization of the proprietary DepoFoam^®-based manufacturing process.

“Patheon has a long history of excellence in manufacturing sterile injection products,” said Dave Stack, president, chief executive officer and chairman of Pacira. “With EXPAREL on a growth trajectory, we are confident that Patheon will ensure our ability to continue supplying EXPAREL to the marketplace beyond the capacity of our current Science Center manufacturing facility in San Diego.”

“EXPAREL is an ideal product for our Swindon facility, which we have recently upgraded to focus strategically on manufacturing specialty products in dedicated suites,” said Jim Mullen, chief executive officer of DPx. “We are excited about the commercial prospects of EXPAREL and look forward to building our partnership with Pacira based upon Patheon’s comprehensive customer service model.”

About Pacira

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCRX) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the clinical and commercial development of new products that meet the needs of acute care practitioners and their patients. The company’s current emphasis is the development of non-opioid products for postsurgical pain control, and its lead product, EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), was commercially launched in the United States in April 2012. EXPAREL and two other products have utilized the Pacira proprietary product delivery technology DepoFoam®, a unique platform that encapsulates drugs without altering their molecular structure and then releases them over a desired period of time. Additional information about Pacira is available at www.pacira.com.

About Patheon

Patheon is a leading provider of contract development and commercial manufacturing (CDMO) services to the global pharmaceutical industry for a full array of solid and sterile dosage forms. Patheon, a DPX business unit, encompasses the combined CMO capabilities and pharmaceutical product development services (PDS), as well as the Biosolutions and Biologics (BIO) business. For more information visit http://www.patheon.com.

About EXPAREL®

EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is indicated for single-dose infiltration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia. 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 in the same fashion as current local anesthetics. By utilizing the DepoFoam platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time, providing analgesia with reduced opioid requirements for up to 72 hours. Pivotal studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL in patients undergoing bunionectomy or hemorrhoidectomy procedures and additional studies are underway to further demonstrate the safety and efficacy in other procedures. Additional information is available at www.EXPAREL.com.

Important Safety Information

EXPAREL is contraindicated in obstetrical 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. Other formulations of bupivacaine should not be administered within 96 hours following administration of EXPAREL. Monitoring of cardiovascular and neurological 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 of developing toxic plasma concentrations. In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions (incidence greater-than or equal to 10%) following EXPAREL administration were nausea, constipation, and vomiting.

Please see the full Prescribing Information at http://www.exparel.com/pdf/EXPAREL_Prescribing_Information.pdf.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about our future expectations, plans and prospects, including statements about our plans and expectations regarding EXPAREL, and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” 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: our and Patheon’s ability to successfully and timely construct dedicated EXPAREL manufacturing suites; the success of our 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 our ability to serve those markets; our plans to expand the indications of EXPAREL, including for nerve block and the related timing and success of an sNDA; our plans to evaluate, develop and pursue additional DepoFoam-based product candidates; clinical studies in support of an existing or potential DepoFoam-based product; our plans to continue to manufacture and provide support services for our commercial partners who have licensed DepoCyt(e); our commercialization and marketing capabilities; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, and in other filings that we periodically make with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Source: Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Company Contact:
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Jessica Cho, 973-254-3574
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Media Contact:
Pure Communications, Inc.
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