Pacira Pharmaceuticals Announces Favorable Resolution With U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Which Reaffirms the Broad Indication for EXPAREL®
-- Terms Include Labeling Changes to Reinforce that the Use of EXPAREL is not Limited to Pivotal Trial Surgical Models, and Formal FDA Rescission of 2014 Warning Letter –
-- Conference Call Today at
“We are pleased to announce a successful collaboration with the
The key features of the resolution are as follows:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) confirms that EXPAREL has, since its approval onOctober 28, 2011 , been approved for “administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia” in a variety of surgeries not limited to those studied in its pivotal trials.- The
FDA approved a labeling supplement which amends the EXPAREL Package Insert (PI) to clarify and reinforce that:- The use, efficacy and safety of EXPAREL is not limited to any specific surgery type or site;
- The proper dosage and administration of EXPAREL is based on various patient and procedure-specific factors, with the two surgical models utilized in the pivotal trials provided as examples for the purpose of providing general guidance;
- There was a significant treatment effect for EXPAREL compared to placebo over the first 72 hours in the pivotal hemorrhoidectomy study;
- The description of that duration of effect now includes a graphical representation of the mean pain intensity scores over time for the EXPAREL and placebo groups for the full 72-hour efficacy period, as well as information about median time to first opioid use and percentage of opioid-free patients in each treatment group
- EXPAREL may be admixed with bupivacaine—including co-administered in the same syringe—provided certain medication ratios are observed.
- The
September 2014 Warning Letter is formally withdrawn via a “Rescission Letter” from Dr.Janet Woodcock , Director of theFDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) toDave Stack .- At the request of Pacira, the Rescission Letter includes
FDA guidance related to two key procedures:- Infiltration into the transversus abdominis plane (TAP), which is a field block technique covered by the approved indication for EXPAREL
- Infiltration to produce postsurgical analgesia at the site of oral surgery procedures including tooth extractions, which is also covered by the approved indication for EXPAREL
- At the request of Pacira, the Rescission Letter includes
The United States acknowledges that the rescission of the Warning Letter and approval of the Labeling Supplement reflect the scope of the indication in the NDA thatFDA approved onOctober 28, 2011 .- Pacira and
FDA agree that, in future interactions, they will deal with each other in an open, forthright and fair manner.
Background on the Legal Complaint and Resolution
In
Pacira took actions to address the immediate
Pacira and the individual physician plaintiffs were represented in this lawsuit by
Today’s Conference Call and Webcast Information
Pacira will host a conference call today,
The live, listen-only webcast of the conference call can also be accessed on the “Investors & Media” section of the company’s website at investor.pacira.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Pacira website for two weeks following the call.
About EXPAREL®
EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is currently 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. By utilizing the DepoFoam platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time, providing significant reductions in cumulative pain score with a 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
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 for more details available at: http://media.corporate ir.net/media_files/IROL/22/220759/The_New_Label_with_Approval_Cover_Letter.pdf
About Pacira
Forward Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about our future expectations, plans, outlook and prospects, and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “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: 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 use of EXPAREL to additional indications and opportunities, including nerve block, oral surgery and chronic pain, as well as pediatrics, and the timing and success of any related clinical trials; the related timing and success of a
Company Contact:Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Jessica Cho , (973) 254-3574 Media Contact:Pure Communications, Inc. Dan Budwick , (973) 271-6085