Pacira Announces Agreement with LG Chem to Make EXPAREL® Available in Select Asian-Pacific Markets
Rhea-AI Summary
Pacira (NASDAQ: PCRX) announced an exclusive agreement with LG Chem to commercialize EXPAREL Under the deal, Pacira will manufacture EXPAREL and receive an undisclosed upfront payment, a transfer price, and tiered royalties on future sales; LG Chem will pursue regulatory approvals and plans to file for marketing authorizations in South Korea and Thailand within six months. The partnership is intended to expand patient access to opioid-sparing postsurgical pain control and advance Pacira’s 5x30 strategy.
Positive
- Exclusive rights granted to LG Chem for select Asia-Pacific markets
- Regulatory filings planned in South Korea and Thailand within six months
- Pacira to manufacture EXPAREL, retaining production control
- Deal advances Pacira’s 5x30 strategy to broaden geographic reach
Negative
- Upfront payment and royalties are undisclosed, creating revenue uncertainty
- Commercialization depends on regulatory approvals in licensed territories
- LG Chem bears approval responsibility, introducing execution risk
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, PCRX declined 5.80%, reflecting a notable negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
PCRX was down 2.55% while key peers like COLL (+4.92%), AMPH (+4.81%), and HROW (+3.26%) traded higher. Other peers such as DVAX (+0.13%) and AVDL (+0.05%) were also slightly positive, pointing to a stock-specific reaction rather than a sector-wide move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 08 | Prelim 2025 revenues | Positive | +0.1% | Preliminary 2025 revenue growth and strong EXPAREL and ZILRETTA sales. |
| Jan 07 | Conference presentation | Positive | +2.7% | Announcement of presentation at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference for investor updates. |
| Dec 30 | Activist nominations | Neutral | +0.0% | DOMA’s intent to nominate three independent directors at 2026 annual meeting. |
| Dec 18 | OA consortium entry | Positive | -2.5% | Joining PROBE Consortium to advance osteoarthritis research and data use. |
| Dec 03 | Inducement grants | Neutral | +0.5% | Inducement RSU awards to new employees under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4). |
Recent news has generally seen price moves align with the underlying tone, with one notable selloff on positive collaboration news.
Over the last several weeks, Pacira reported preliminary 2025 revenue of $726.4 million with solid EXPAREL growth and active share repurchases, followed by participation in the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Activist interest emerged via DOMA’s intent to nominate directors, and Pacira joined the PROBE Consortium to advance osteoarthritis research using data from over 70 million patients. Today’s LG Chem partnership extends the commercial footprint for EXPAREL, building on its existing leadership in non-opioid pain therapies.
Market Pulse Summary
The stock moved -5.8% in the session following this news. A negative reaction despite a geographic expansion agreement would have echoed the earlier selloff after Pacira joined the PROBE Consortium, where positive collaboration news coincided with a -2.52% move. Investors may have focused on near-term uncertainty around regulatory timelines and commercialization ramp rather than long-term potential. Historical activism and insider selling could also have contributed to caution, even alongside growing EXPAREL revenues.
Key Terms
bupivacaine medical
liposome medical
regulatory approvals regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
-- LG Chem becomes exclusive distributor of EXPAREL --
– Partnership expands patient access to opioid-sparing pain control and advances 5x30 strategy–
BRISBANE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCRX), the industry leader in its commitment to deliver innovative, non-opioid pain therapies to transform the lives of patients, today announced it has entered into an agreement with LG Chem designed to expand access to opioid-sparing postsurgical pain control for patients in select Asian-Pacific markets. Through this partnership, LG Chem has the exclusive rights to commercialize EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), Pacira’s long-acting, local analgesic for postsurgical pain management in the region.
“We are excited to launch this key regional partnership that significantly expands patient access to opioid-sparing pain management and advances our 5x30 strategy. LG Chem is an established leader in pain management with a proven track record of delivering orthopedic pain solutions to patients across Asia,” said Frank D. Lee, chief executive officer of Pacira BioSciences. “By leveraging LG Chem’s decades of experience in the orthopedic and surgical markets, we will greatly broaden the availability of EXPAREL in a part of the world where there is a significant unmet need for long-acting postsurgical pain control and enhanced recovery.”
“Current analgesics are constrained by short duration and limited efficacy, underscoring the market’s need for better postsurgical pain control,” said Inchul Hwang, Vice President and Head of Primary Care Business Unit of LG Chem Life Sciences. “We are delighted to join forces with Pacira and believe we are ideally suited to leverage our leadership in pain management to greatly expand patient access to EXPAREL. This partnership directly aligns with our commitment to advancing patient care through innovative product offerings.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Pacira will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, a transfer price, and tiered royalties on future commercial sales by LG Chem in licensed territories. Pacira will manufacture EXPAREL. LG Chem will be responsible for securing regulatory approvals in the licensed territories and plans to file for marketing authorizations in South Korea and Thailand within the next six months.
About Pacira
Pacira delivers innovative, non-opioid pain therapies to transform the lives of patients. Pacira has three commercial-stage non-opioid treatments: EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a long-acting local analgesic currently approved for infiltration, fascial plane block, and as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block, an adductor canal nerve block, and a sciatic nerve block in the popliteal fossa for postsurgical pain management; ZILRETTA® (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension), an extended-release, intra-articular injection indicated for the management of osteoarthritis knee pain; and iovera®º, a novel, handheld device for delivering immediate, long-acting, drug-free pain control using precise, controlled doses of cold temperature to a targeted nerve. The company is also advancing a pipeline of clinical-stage assets for musculoskeletal pain and adjacencies, its most advanced product candidate, PCRX-201 (enekinragene inzadenovec), a novel locally administered gene therapy in Phase 2 clinical development for osteoarthritis of the knee. To learn more about Pacira, visit www.pacira.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about Pacira’s future expectations, plans, trends, 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 Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements related to: the settlement described herein, ‘5x30’, our growth and business strategy; our future outlook, our intellectual property and patent terms, our growth and future operating results and trends, our strategy, plans, objectives, expectations (financial or otherwise) and intentions, future financial results and growth potential, including our plans with respect to the repayment of our indebtedness, anticipated product portfolio, development programs, development of products, strategic alliances and other statements that are not historical facts. For this purpose, any statement that is not a statement of historical fact should be considered a forward-looking statement. We cannot assure you that our estimates, assumptions and expectations will prove to have been correct. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks relating to, among others: the failure to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies from the acquisition of GQ Bio Therapeutics GmbH; risks associated with acquisitions, such as the risk that the acquired businesses will not be integrated successfully, that such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected or that the expected benefits of the transaction will not occur; our manufacturing and supply chain, global and U.S. economic conditions (including inflation and rising interest rates), and our business, including our revenues, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations; the success of our sales and manufacturing efforts in support of the commercialization of EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera°; the rate and degree of market acceptance of EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera°; the size and growth of the potential markets for EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera° and our ability to serve those markets; our plans to expand the use of EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera° to additional indications and opportunities, and the timing and success of any related clinical trials for EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera°; the commercial success of EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera°; the related timing and success of U.S. Food and Drug Administration supplemental New Drug Applications and premarket notification 510(k)s; the related timing and success of European Medicines Agency Marketing Authorization Applications; our plans to evaluate, develop and pursue additional product candidates utilizing our proprietary multivesicular liposome (“pMVL”) drug delivery technology; the approval of the commercialization of our products in other jurisdictions; clinical trials in support of an existing or potential pMVL-based product; our commercialization and marketing capabilities; our ability to successfully complete capital projects; the outcome of any litigation; the recoverability of our deferred tax assets; assumptions associated with contingent consideration payments; assumptions used for estimated future cash flows associated with determining the fair value of the Company; the anticipated funding or benefits of our share repurchase program; and factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings that we periodically make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our 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 we anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, and readers should not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These factors include the matters discussed and referenced in the “Risk Factors” of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other filings that we periodically make with the SEC.
Investor Contact: Susan Mesco, (973) 451-4030 susan.mesco@pacira.com Media Contact: Kim Hamilton, (908) 721-7067 kim.hamilton@pacira.com
FAQ
What did Pacira announce on January 13, 2026 regarding EXPAREL (PCRX)?
Which markets will LG Chem file for EXPAREL marketing authorizations in for PCRX?
How will Pacira (PCRX) be paid under the LG Chem agreement?
Who will manufacture EXPAREL after the PCRX–LG Chem agreement?
How does the LG Chem deal affect Pacira’s strategic goals (PCRX)?
