Real-World Data on EXPAREL® Shows Reduced Opioid Use and Lower Total Medical Costs in Medicare Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty
Rhea-AI Summary
Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ: PCRX) presented a retrospective Medicare real‑world study showing EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome) was associated with lower opioid consumption, reduced healthcare utilization, and lower total medical costs versus non‑liposome bupivacaine after outpatient total hip arthroplasty over 12 months.
Key results: reduced MMEs at 30/90/180/365 days, fewer inpatient admissions and outpatient visits, and lower total medical costs at 30/90/180/365 days.
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Positive
- Opioid use reduced across 12 months: 30d 333 vs 380 MMEs, 365d 1962 vs 2576 MMEs
- Inpatient admissions lower at 365 days: 698 vs 883 (P<0.001)
- Total medical costs lower at 365 days: $8,390 vs $9,250 (P<0.0001)
- ED and outpatient admissions significantly lower at 90/180/365 days (P<0.0001)
- Fewer opioid-related adverse events at 365 days: 23 vs 27 (P<0.01)
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – PCRX
On the day this news was published, PCRX gained 4.24%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction. This price movement added approximately $42M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $1.04B at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
PCRX was down 3.35% while key peers were flat to up: COLL 0%, DVAX +0.06%, AMPH +1.71%, AVDL 0%, HROW +2.35%. Peer scanner only flagged BGM up 3.99% with no news, pointing to a stock-specific move.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16 | Earnings date set | Neutral | +1.8% | Company scheduled Q1 2026 earnings release and conference call on Apr 30. |
| Apr 13 | Real-world EXPAREL data | Positive | +1.1% | HOPD analyses showed EXPAREL linked to lower or comparable costs and opioid use. |
| Apr 08 | Conference participation | Neutral | +3.2% | Needham healthcare conference fireside chat and new inducement equity awards disclosed. |
| Mar 30 | Cost-of-care data | Positive | +1.7% | ORS 2026 data showed EXPAREL associated with lower cost of care and resource use. |
| Mar 12 | Activist nominations | Neutral | +3.1% | DOMA Perpetual nominated three candidates for Pacira’s board of directors. |
Recent company news and events have all seen positive next-day moves, suggesting a pattern of constructive reactions to both clinical data and corporate updates.
Over the last six weeks, Pacira has repeatedly highlighted real-world data for EXPAREL showing reduced costs and opioid use, including HOPD and orthopaedic studies on 2026-03-30 and 2026-04-13. Corporate visibility events such as a Needham fireside chat and an upcoming Q1 2026-04-30 earnings date also drew positive price reactions. Activist-related board nominations on 2026-03-12 were similarly followed by a gain, framing today’s EXPAREL data as part of an ongoing narrative around clinical value and shareholder attention.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights real-world Medicare data showing EXPAREL associated with lower opioid exposure and lower total medical costs, including 333 vs 380 MMEs at 30 days and $8,390 vs $9,250 in 12‑month costs versus non‑LB options. It builds on earlier cost-of-care and real-world analyses released since March 2026. Investors may watch for how upcoming events, such as the April 30, 2026 earnings release and ongoing proxy contest, contextualize the commercial impact of these findings.
Key Terms
bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension medical
Morphine Milligram Equivalents medical
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulatory
emergency department (ED) medical
outpatient total hip arthroplasty medical
P<0.0001 medical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
-- Findings show significant reductions in opioid consumption, healthcare resource utilization, and total medical costs --
BRISBANE, Calif., April 27, 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, recently announced findings from a real-world study evaluating the clinical and economic impact of EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) on opioid use, healthcare resource utilization, and total medical costs following outpatient total hip arthroplasty among Medicare patients. The data were presented at the Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting, hosted by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA), held from April 16-18.
The retrospective study evaluated the real-world impact of EXPAREL compared to other standard-of-care options (non-liposome bupivacaine (non-LB)) on opioid use and healthcare utilization for up to 12 months following outpatient total hip arthroplasty for Medicare patients. Data was analyzed from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services database. The results showed:
- Over 12 months, EXPAREL was associated with significant reductions in opioid use after surgery across all time points (P<0.0001 for all):
- 30 days (333 vs 380 Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MMEs))
- 90 days (637 vs 805 MMEs)
- 180 days (1073 vs 1415 MMEs)
- 365 days (1962 vs 2576 MMEs)
- Patients who were administered EXPAREL had significantly lower healthcare utilization, including inpatient admissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and outpatient admissions, compared to the non-LB group:
- Inpatient admissions: 30-day (42 vs 79); 90-day (174 vs 243); 180-day (327 vs 447); 365-day (698 vs 883); all P<0.001
- ED visits: 30-day (673 vs 639, P=0.348); 90-day (1147 vs 1404, P<0.0001); 180-day (1770 vs 2485, P<0.0001); 365-day (3309 vs 4382, P<0.0001)
- Outpatient admissions: 30-day (3440 vs 3493, P=0.524); 90-day (9406 vs 10,202, P<0.0001); 180-day (16,981 vs 18,433, P<0.0001); 365-day (32,241 vs 34,388; P<0.0001)
- Patients in the EXPAREL group also experienced significantly fewer opioid-related adverse events:
- 30 days (9 vs 11) (P<0.05)
- 90 days (15 v 18) (P<0.01)
- 180 days (20 v 23) (P<0.01)
- 365 days (23 v 27) (P<0.01)
- Both groups had similar costs on the day of surgery; however, the EXPAREL group had significantly lower total medical costs compared with the non-LB group (P<0.0001) during follow-up at all time periods during the 12-month analysis.
- 30 days (
$123 3 vs$162 7) - 90 days (
$250 7 vs$315 4) - 180 days (
$442 2 vs$533 3) - 365 days (
$839 0 vs$925 0)
- 30 days (
“These findings reinforce the critical role EXPAREL plays in reducing patient exposure to opioids in a very common procedure such as hip replacement surgery, especially among the older Medicare population, which can be a particularly vulnerable group,” said Brendan Teehan, Chief Commercial Officer at Pacira. “Equally importantly, we also saw lower healthcare resource utilization, including inpatient admissions and ER visits, resulting in lower total medical costs among patients using EXPAREL, which is further proof of its economic value.”
Please refer to the poster here:
“Impact of Liposomal Bupivacaine on Postoperative Opioid Use and Medical Costs in Medicare Outpatient Total Hip Arthroplasty”
Presenter: Gary Schwartz, MD, FASA, Vice Chair, Pain Management Department of Anesthesiology at Maimonides Medical Center and Co-owner and Primary Clinic Director at AABP Integrative Pain Care
Poster Number: 2318323
Date & Time: April 16, 2026, 1:30-3:30pm MT
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, is in Phase 2 clinical development for osteoarthritis of the knee. To learn more about Pacira, visit www.pacira.com.
About EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension)
EXPAREL is indicated to produce postsurgical local analgesia via infiltration in patients aged 6 years and older, and postsurgical regional analgesia via an interscalene brachial plexus block in adults, a sciatic nerve block in the popliteal fossa in adults, and an adductor canal block in adults. The safety and effectiveness of EXPAREL have not been established to produce postsurgical regional analgesia via other nerve blocks besides an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block, a sciatic nerve block in the popliteal fossa, or an adductor canal block. The product combines bupivacaine with multivesicular liposomes, 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. By utilizing the multivesicular liposome platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time, providing significant reductions in cumulative pain scores with up to a 78 percent decrease in opioid consumption; the clinical benefit of the opioid reduction was not demonstrated. Additional information is available at www.EXPAREL.com.
Important Safety Information about EXPAREL for Patients
EXPAREL should not be used in obstetrical paracervical block anesthesia. In studies in adults where EXPAREL was injected into a wound, the most common side effects were nausea, constipation, and vomiting. In studies in adults where EXPAREL was injected near a nerve, the most common side effects were nausea, fever, and constipation. In the study where EXPAREL was given to children, the most common side effects were nausea, vomiting, constipation, low blood pressure, low number of red blood cells, muscle twitching, blurred vision, itching, and rapid heartbeat. EXPAREL can cause a temporary loss of feeling and/or loss of muscle movement. How much and how long the loss of feeling and/or muscle movement depends on where and how much of EXPAREL was injected and may last for up to 5 days. EXPAREL is not recommended to be used in patients younger than 6 years old for injection into the wound, for patients younger than 18 years old, for injection near a nerve, and/or in pregnant women. Tell your health care provider if you or your child has liver disease, since this may affect how the active ingredient (bupivacaine) in EXPAREL is eliminated from the body. EXPAREL should not be injected into the spine, joints, or veins. The active ingredient in EXPAREL can affect the nervous system and the cardiovascular system; may cause an allergic reaction; may cause damage if injected into the joints; and can cause a rare blood disorder.
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 “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would,” 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: '5x30', our growth and business strategy, our future outlook, the strength and efficacy of our intellectual property protection and patent terms, our future growth potential and future financial and operating results and trends, our plans, objectives, expectations (financial or otherwise) and intentions, including our plans with respect to the repayment of our indebtedness, anticipated product portfolio and product development programs, strategic alliances, plans with respect to the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (“NOPAIN”) Act, and any 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 these indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks relating to, among others: risks associated with acquisitions, such as the risk that the acquired businesses and/or assets 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 United States economic conditions (including tariffs, inflation and rising interest rates), and our business, including our revenues, financial condition, cash flows 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, iovera° and any of our other product candidates, including, but not limited to, PCRX-201 and PCRX-2002; the commercial success of EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera°; the related timing and success of United States 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 high-capacity adenovirus (“HCAd”) vector platform; the approval of the commercialization of our products in other jurisdictions (by either us or our partners); clinical trials in support of an existing or potential HCAd-based product candidate; 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.
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Investor Contact: Susan Mesco, (973) 451-4030 susan.mesco@pacira.com Media Contact: Kim Hamilton, (908) 391-0131 kim.hamilton@pacira.com