Pacira BioSciences announced the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for EXPAREL as a brachial plexus block or femoral nerve block for treatment of post-operative pain in adults, and as a field block for treatment of somatic post-operative pain from small- to medium-sized surgical wounds in adults.

The European Commission approval was based on the results of four pivotal Phase 3 studies that demonstrated improvements in pain reduction and opioid use. These studies include:

• Lower Extremity Nerve Block Study: This study assessed the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL as a femoral nerve block in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Results demonstrated that EXPAREL resulted in a significant reduction in cumulative pain scores over 72 hours compared to placebo. A higher percentage of patients who received EXPAREL were pain-free, consumed fewer opioids and reported higher satisfaction with their pain control compared with placebo.

• Upper Extremity Nerve Block Study: This study assessed the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty or rotator cuff repair. Results demonstrated that EXPAREL significantly improved pain control and reduced opioid consumption through 48 hours compared with placebo and a standardized pain management protocol alone.

• Hard Tissue Infiltration Study: This study assessed the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL administered via infiltration in patients undergoing bunionectomy. Results demonstrated that EXPAREL significantly reduced pain and opioid consumption compared with placebo over the first 24 hours following surgery than patients administered placebo.

• Soft Tissue Infiltration Study: This study assessed the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL administered via infiltration in patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy. Results demonstrated that EXPAREL significantly reduced pain compared to placebo at all time points, including a 30 percent reduction in the cumulative pain scores at 72 hours. Patients who received EXPAREL consumed significantly fewer opioids than patients administered placebo.

The European Commission decision is applicable to all 27 European Union member states plus the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Commercial planning is underway, with an anticipated launch in the second half of 2021. EXPAREL was initially approved in the United States for single-dose infiltration in adults to produce postsurgical local analgesia and as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block to produce postsurgical regional analgesia. Since its launch, EXPAREL has been used in over seven and a half million patients.