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Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCRX) is the industry leader in its commitment to non-opioid pain management and regenerative health solutions to improve patients’ journeys along the neural pain pathway.

The company’s long-acting local analgesic, EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) was commercially launched in the United States in 2012. EXPAREL utilizes the company’s proprietary multivesicular liposome (pMVL) drug delivery technology that encapsulates drugs without altering their molecular structure and releases them over a desired period of time.

In 2019, Pacira acquired the ioveraº® system, a handheld cryoanalgesia device used to deliver precise, controlled doses of cold temperature only to targeted nerves, and in 2021, Pacira acquired ZILRETTA® (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension), the first and only extended-release, intra-articular, corticosteroid injection indicated for the management of osteoarthritis knee pain.

FRANK D. LEE
Chief Executive Officer

Pacira has market-leading products, a clear sense of purpose, a talented team, and an unwavering commitment to our corporate mission and the impact that our three trusted products are making on patients’ lives. Consequently, we are enthusiastic for the opportunities that lie ahead for Pacira and the patients we serve.

To Our Stockholders,

2023 Accomplishments

2023 marked our tenth consecutive year of positive operating cash flows and we are on strong financial and operational footing to expand our position as the Therapeutic Area Leader in opioid-sparing postsurgical pain management. 2024 will be a key setup year to ensure we are well-positioned to drive significant and sustainable growth in 2025 and beyond. To that end, we are reshaping our executive team, reallocating ex-U.S. and early-stage development resources to the U.S. market, and reprioritizing investments to focus on the start of the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (“NOPAIN”) Act and operational excellence.

EXPAREL drove profitability through its continued acceptance among healthcare providers as the market’s leading branded long-acting, local analgesic for opioid-sparing postsurgical pain management. Now in its thirteenth year on the market, EXPAREL has treated more than 14 million patients, which reflects the significant impact we are making on patients’ lives.

Among our key accomplishments in 2023 were the regulatory approvals for two key lower extremity nerve blocks and the inclusion of NOPAIN in Congress’s bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

This year we are launching EXPAREL for lower extremity nerve blocks to our customers, which we believe is going to grow into a $100 million annual opportunity over time. We have a strong presence in total knee arthroplasty (“TKA”), where anesthesiologists are already performing adductor canal blocks with bupivacaine. Consequently, we expect a faster uptake in this segment, which represents more than one million annual procedures. Conversely, we have a very limited presence in other lower extremity procedures, such as anterior cruciate ligament (“ACL”) repair or foot and ankle procedures. We expect uptake in these segments to be slower. Importantly, we are going to market with an overwhelmingly positive body of data from two head-to-head Phase 3 studies demonstrating four days of superiority to bupivacaine. With respect to safety, EXPAREL was well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with bupivacaine.

As for NOPAIN, this legislation is a real testament to Pacira’s leadership in non-opioid pain management. We believe NOPAIN will be significant for both patients and Pacira. Currently, products used to manage postsurgical pain are largely reimbursed as part of a bundled procedure payment. Bundled reimbursement incentivizes the use of cheaper, generic approaches to managing postsurgical pain that often incorporate opioids. Financial pressures facing healthcare systems further incentivize cost-driven approaches. Pacira recognized early on that bundled reimbursement caused the surgical suite to become an unintended and alarming gateway to chronic opioid use. The company started Voices for Non-Opioid Choices—a nonpartisan coalition that is the champion

You can find more information, including the nominees for directors and details regarding our independent registered public accounting firm and executive compensation in the attached proxy statement.

The list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for examination by

stockholders for any purpose germane to the Annual Meeting, upon request, for the 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting at our principal executive office, 5401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 890, Tampa, Florida 33609.

Please read the enclosed information carefully before submitting your proxy.

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This Proxy Statement includes estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives and expected operating results that are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this proxy statement. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “may,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “project,” “should,” “strategy,” “will,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” “would,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and

assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. We describe risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially in “Risk Factors,” “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

This proxy statement is furnished to stockholders of Pacira BioSciences, Inc. in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our board of directors (the “board”). In this proxy statement, unless expressly stated otherwise or the context otherwise requires, the use of  “Pacira,” the “Company,” “our,” “we” or “us” refers to Pacira BioSciences, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Our proxy materials

will first be made available to stockholders on or about April 22, 2024. This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider. You should read the entire proxy statement carefully before voting.

We regularly assess and identify our emerging talent and support their development with programs, including:

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leadership development;

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executive coaching;

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mentoring; and

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360-degree feedback.

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Many of our leaders participating in these programs advance to higher level positions within the organization.

We offer all of our employees critical skills trainings in live and virtual settings, along with online courses available through our learning platform. These programs include management skills training for

people managers, as well as project management and communications training.

We are committed to soliciting employee feedback throughout their tenure with the organization, to shape organizational culture and to inform our people strategy. We conduct new hire surveys to solicit feedback on employees’ initial experiences with us to help ensure a successful onboarding and accelerate their assimilation into the organization and ability to contribute to our mission.

We track turnover and employee engagement among other metrics, and conduct stay and exit interviews to ensure our talent strategy serves our goal of attracting, developing, and retaining top talent to serve as our future leaders and stewards of our vision.

We offer targeted selection training for interviewers to ensure a consistent methodology applied in identifying and hiring the best candidates for open positions.

We hold one another accountable to promote trust and transparency in support of our communities and collective purpose.

In support of this diversity, equity, and inclusion vision, we have developed a strategy and multi-year roadmap, prioritizing education and training. Our executive team and senior leaders have received training on Unconscious Bias and Inclusive Leadership. Additionally, we have established a project team and employee council to shape our strategy around four key areas:

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leadership development;

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diversity recruiting;

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culture; and

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communications.

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We are committed to evaluating our people processes to ensure we are attracting, developing, promoting, and retaining diverse talent.

In 2018, we established P.O.W.E.R. (Preparing Our Women for Excellence and Results), an employee resource group open to all Pacira colleagues, focused on promoting leadership values, fostering a community of support and the advancement of women through professional development and networking opportunities.

In 2020, we established a cross-functional diversity, equity, and inclusion employee council to serve as an advisory board, comprised of employees who lead, advocate for, inform, and communicate our corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic initiatives.

We offer a range of benefits designed to meet individual needs. This includes a variety of tools to promote total wellbeing in the areas of health, wealth, work, and life to keep our employees and their families healthy, lower their healthcare costs, and reduce stress. For example, we provide our employees:

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medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage;

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access to free biometric screenings;

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an employee assistance program;

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trainings on stress management;

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access to telemedicine including mental health visits;

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a health advocate service;

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activity challenges;

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flexible work arrangements;

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remote working opportunities;

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benefits that protect financial wellbeing;

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paid parental leave;

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fertility and maternity assistance;

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mental health resources;

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financial education seminars; and

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recognition based on our core values through our Celebrate program in which we recognize each other’s commitment to making a meaningful difference for our patients and communities and create a shared culture where everyone is responsible for living up to and sustaining our core values.

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We have a formal Environmental Health and Safety Program. It is our policy that everyone is entitled to a safe and healthful place to work. We recognize that accident prevention, employee wellness, and efficiency of operations are directly related to quality, production, and cost.

Pacira operates its facilities in a manner that protects the health of its employees and minimizes the impact of its operations on the environment.

To that end, Pacira provides grants for:

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investigator-initiated trials;

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independent educational grants; and

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grants in support of medical missions and charitable donations.

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Pacira has donated over 7,000 vials of EXPAREL to locations across the world that otherwise have no alternatives other than opioids. These donations have assisted patients undergoing a range of surgical procedures including hip and knee replacement, wisdom tooth extraction, and hernia repair.

Over the past three years we provided support for charitable medical missions in Honduras, Ghana,

Zambia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, India, Guyana, Palau, and the Dominican Republic by donating EXPAREL to help support surgeries for patients in need and have also supported the Louisiana State University Opioid Minimization Initiative as well as made a three-year commitment beginning in 2022 to donate EXPAREL to not-for-profit children’s hospitals each year.

Community Involvement

In October 2023, as part of our ongoing commitment to support the communities where we live and work, we launched our Pacira Gives Back corporate giving program, which provides employees with access to a platform to easily make charitable contributions, search for and organize volunteer opportunities, track activity, and take advantage of Company-wide donation match campaigns. We also offer all of our employees a paid volunteer day every year to help make a difference in the communities in which we live and work.

Visit: pacira.com/innovation-hub

We’re building a coalition of like-minded individuals and organizations to generate widespread public awareness of the role that postsurgical opioids play in the larger public health crisis in the U.S., while highlighting the opportunity to alleviate the risks associated with opioid dependence and/or addiction through the utilization of non-opioid pain management approaches.

Overreliance on opioids in the postsurgical setting has caused a rapid deluge of opioid misuse, abuse, and addiction. Opioid addiction in the U.S. has reached epidemic proportions, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reporting that over 112,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending August 2023. Opioids were involved in nearly 70% of all drug overdose deaths reported, with Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids being the primary driver of the increase in fatalities. A recent meta-analysis of 33 studies and nearly two million patients

who underwent various procedures showed that across a variety of surgical procedures, 7% of patients continued to fill opioid prescriptions more than three months after surgery. The highest rates were observed in orthopedic procedures. Studies have also shown that misuse of prescription opioids is a primary predictor of heroin usage and that 4% to 6% of those who misuse prescription opioids transition to heroin use.

We continue to advance our Choices Matter national educational campaign, aimed at empowering patients to proactively discuss acute pain management, including non-opioid options, with their doctors. We have a growing network of strategic collaborations to expand education on the importance of non-opioid options for post-surgical pain management and broaden our commercial reach. These include agreements with industry partners, as well as healthcare providers and hospital systems to support their implementation of opioid-sparing enhanced recovery protocols. We are collaborating on national and regional training initiatives with large anesthesia physician practices,

such as MEDNAX, Inc. and Envision Physician Services. Our growing coalition of collaborators also includes:

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Aetna

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The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)

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Cancer Treatment Centers of America

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WellStar Health System

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Shatterproof

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The Partnership to End Addiction

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IPG Integrated Surgical Solutions

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The National Safety Council

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The Boys and Girls Club of Connecticut

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The Pennsylvania Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs

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The SAFE Project

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The National Safety Council

In 2022, we launched a partnership with The National Safety Council (“NSC”), America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate, and the Connect2Prevent program. Connect2Prevent is an innovative employee-family educational program that increases awareness and prevention of opioid addiction. NSC created a comprehensive curriculum designed to educate employees on the risks associated with opioids and provide them with the tools to have meaningful discussions with adolescent family

members. The curriculum includes 10 to 12 weeks of engaging lessons on opioids, addiction, stigma, risk factors for substance use, refusal skills, harm reduction, how to talk to doctors about opioid alternatives, and more. The lessons provide easy-to-understand education, action steps and evidence-based tools to connect and communicate with teens.

NFL Alumni Association

In 2022, we launched a partnership with the NFL Alumni Association (“NFLA”) to increase awareness of the availability and benefits of non-opioid options to manage acute and chronic pain, including postsurgical pain and knee osteoarthritis. The program seeks to educate retired players, NFLA chapter presidents and staff, youth sports organizations including Play 60, Pop Warner, and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) about the importance of non-opioid pain management options that can reduce or eliminate the need for opioids, which can be associated with unwanted and potentially severe side effects. The partnership includes educational opportunities at NFLA state and local chapter events, as well as national tournaments throughout the year including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl of Golf, the Red, White, & Blue Celebrity Golf Classic, and the NFLA Super Bowl Pro-Am.

PGA Senior Tour

In 2022, we launched an iovera° partnership with the Professional Golfers Association (“PGA”) of America Champions Tour through which we had a dedicated iovera° presence at three prominent tournaments—the ClubCorp Classic in April, the AmFam Championship in June, and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November. The tournaments featured an iovera° ‘Cool Zone’ tent that allowed spectators and guests of the PGA Champions Tour to learn more about the availability and benefits of iovera° and how to contact a local iovera° provider for more information.

LPGA

In 2023, we announced a multi-year sponsorship with the LPGA to make iovera° its official non-opioid pain management partner. The sponsorship will aim to draw attention to the role non-opioid pain management options can play in curbing the U.S. opioid epidemic. We will host initiatives at various LPGA tournaments to drive awareness and education on the availability of non-opioid interventions as well as encourage fans to wear purple each September, which is recognized as Opioid Awareness Month.

Throughout the year, we encourage our stockholders to communicate the matters most important to them. We also regularly provide stockholders and the general public with updates and other relevant information through our Investor Relations page on our corporate website under the “Investors” section of our website, which is located at www.pacira.com.

We also hold quarterly conference calls during which management hosts a question-and-answer session following a set of prepared remarks, and frequently participate in industry and financial conferences.

See “Communication with the Board” on page 36 for more information on how to provide us with feedback.

The matrix below displays the top five areas of the skills and experience of each of our directors and director nominees. The absence of a check mark below does not mean the director does not possess that skill or experience, instead these are the skills

and experience attributes most considered by the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee and the Board in making nomination decisions and as part of the board succession planning process.

We believe that our executive compensation program is well-structured to support our business objectives, and we also believe that our compensation programs and policies reflect an

overall pay-for-performance philosophy that is closely aligned with the long-term interests of our stockholders.

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The Compensation Committee believes that our recent say-on-pay votes affirm our stockholders’ support of our approach to executive compensation.

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After considering approval at almost 87% in 2023, and following our annual review of our executive compensation philosophy, the Compensation Committee decided to retain our overall approach to executive compensation.

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The Compensation Committee will continue to consider the outcome of our say-on-pay votes and feedback from stockholders when making future compensation decisions for our named executive officers.

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The total cash and long-term incentive compensation of our executive officers falls within the 50th and 75th percentile of our peer group. The actual positioning of compensation relative to targeted benchmarks is influenced by performance, tenure, organizational criticality, and internal equity. Long-term incentive compensation is achieved with a mix of the cash LTIP and longer-term equity awards.

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Target awards for our cash LTIP were equal to our executive officers’ annual incentive bonus targets as of the beginning of the performance year. No awards were earned under the cash LTIP for the 2023 performance year.

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Equity was awarded as approximately 75% stock options and 25% restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to our chief executive officer and approximately 50% stock options and 50% RSUs to our other executive officers to further align executives with the interests of stockholders.

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2023 Equity Grant Mix

Our board currently consists of twelve members. Our directors hold office until their successors have been elected and qualified or until the earlier of their resignation or removal.

In accordance with the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (as amended to date, our “Certificate of Incorporation”) and our second amended and restated bylaws (our “Bylaws”), our board is divided into three classes: Class I,

Class II, and Class III, with each class serving staggered three-year terms. Each class is required to consist, as nearly as may be possible, of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire board. Upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, directors in that class will be eligible to be elected for a new three-year term at the annual meeting of stockholders in the year in which their term expires.

The current authorized number of directors is 12. Our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board. Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws also provide that our directors may be removed only for cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75%

of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in an annual election of directors, and that any vacancy on our board, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.

Proxies will be voted in favor of the nominees unless a contrary specification is made in the proxy. The nominees have consented to serve as directors of Pacira if elected. However, if any of the nominees are

unable to serve or for good cause will not serve as a director, the persons named in the proxy intend to vote in their discretion for one or more substitutes who will be designated by our board.

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Our Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee is responsible for identifying individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by our board, and recommending the persons to be nominated for election as directors.

The process followed by our Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee to identify and evaluate director candidates includes requests to board members and others for recommendations, meetings from time to time to evaluate biographical information and background material relating to potential candidates, and interviews of selected candidates by members of the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee and our board.

The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee evaluates potential candidates, taking into account several factors, including, without limitation, the individual’s:

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reputation for integrity, honesty, and adherence to a high ethical standard;

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understanding of the Company’s business and industry;

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business acumen, experience, and ability to exercise sound judgment in matters that relate to the current and long-term objectives of the Company; and

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willingness and ability to commit adequate time to board and committee matters and to contribute positively to the decision-making process of the Company.

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The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee does not have a formal policy regarding board diversity, but the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee strives to nominate directors with a variety of complementary skills and backgrounds so that, as a group, the board will possess a broad perspective and the appropriate

talent, skills, and expertise to oversee our business. In selecting director nominees, the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee focuses on identifying individuals who will further the interests of our stockholders through his or her established record of professional accomplishment and will contribute positively to the collaborative culture among board members.

Stockholders may recommend individuals to our Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee for consideration as potential director candidates by submitting the names of such individuals, together with appropriate biographical information and background materials, to:

The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee does not have a formal policy regarding stockholder-recommended candidates. Assuming that appropriate biographical and background material has been provided on a timely basis, the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee will evaluate stockholder-recommended candidates by following substantially the same process, and applying substantially the same criteria, as it follows for candidates submitted by others. Stockholders also have the right under our Bylaws to nominate director candidates directly, without any action or recommendation on the part of the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee or the board, by following the procedures set forth in “Stockholder Proposals.”

In 2023, the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability engaged a nationally recognized

executive recruiting firm retained by the committee that helped identify, evaluate, and conduct due diligence on potential director candidates, including

Dr. Bigal, Mr. Ceesay, Mr. Yang, and Ms. Young, each of whom were appointed to our Board in October 2023.

The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee and the board continue to periodically review the board’s structure as warranted. In September 2023, David Stack announced that he would be retiring as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman immediately upon the appointment of his successor, which occurred on January 2, 2024 when Frank D. Lee was appointed Chief Executive Officer and a director. As a result, the board

considered the board’s structure and upon the recommendation of the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee, elected Paul Hastings, previously the Company’s lead independent director, as the independent board chair. As the independent board chair, Mr. Hastings chairs meetings of the board, in addition to having the duties previously held as the lead independent director.

Our board has implemented a Majority Vote Director Resignation Policy in our Corporate Governance Guidelines. Under the policy, any director nominee who receives a greater number of  “WITHHOLD” votes than “FOR” votes in an uncontested election must promptly tender his or her resignation to the board following certification of the stockholder vote. Within 90 days following the certification of the

vote, independent directors on the board would consider the offer of resignation and determine whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation. If the independent directors determine not to accept the tendered resignation, we will publicly disclose (via a press release or an SEC filing) such determination and the factors considered by the independent directors in making such determination.

11 out of 12 Directors are Independent

Our board has determined that each of our directors, with the exception of Frank D. Lee, our chief executive officer, is an “independent director” as defined under the applicable Nasdaq rules and SEC rules and regulations.

Our board has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating, Governance and Sustainability committee and a Science and Technology committee. Each of these committees operates under a written charter that has been approved by our board. Each committee charter is available by clicking on the “Investors—​Corporate Governance” section of our corporate

website, located at www.pacira.com. The information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not part of, or incorporated by reference in, this proxy statement.

The following table is a summary of our committee structure and members on each of our committees.

The full board met eleven times during 2023. During 2023, each member of the board, other than Governor Christie and Mr. Stack, attended 75 percent or more of the aggregate of: (i) the total number of meetings of the board (held during the period for which such person has been a director) and (ii) the total number of meetings held by all committees of the board on which such person served (during the periods that such person served). Governor Christie was pursuing a presidential bid as the Republican Party nominee and was unable to attend each meeting, although he was still actively engaged with the board through other routine communications and correspondence. Mr. Stack