Pacira BioSciences has entered into an exclusive agreement with Italian pharmaceutical company Molteni Farmaceutici to distribute and commercialise Exparel across the EU and the UK.

Exparel (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is a long-acting local analgesic used for postsurgical pain management.

Under the agreement, Pacira will obtain an undisclosed upfront payment, alongside a supply price and royalties generated from future commercial sales across the licensed territories.

Pacira will be responsible for manufacturing the therapy. Molteni Farmaceutici will manage regulatory procedures, market access, and commercialisation efforts in the designated markets.

Molteni Farmaceutici plans a phased commercial rollout of the analgesic, starting in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Poland, while also seeking regulatory approval in Switzerland.

The companies expect the first commercial sale under the partnership to occur in 2027. Locust Walk served as the exclusive financial advisor to Pacira for the transaction.

Pacira BioSciences CEO Frank Lee said: “We are excited to announce another strategic partnership that advances our 5x30 growth strategy and reinforces our commitment to expanding patient access to best-practice opioid-sparing postsurgical pain management.

“With Molteni Farmaceutici’s longstanding leadership in pain management and extensive distribution network across Europe, they are ideally positioned to unlock EXPAREL’s full potential in key European markets.”

Molteni Farmaceutici focuses on specialty healthcare, operating in the fields of hospital-based treatments, oncology supportive care, and pain management.

Alongside Exparel, Pacira's commercial portfolio includes Zilretta (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension), an intra-articular extended-release injection indicated for managing osteoarthritis knee pain.

The company is also developing a pipeline of clinical-stage candidates for musculoskeletal pain and related conditions.

Its investigational product, PCRX-201 (enekinragene inzadenovec), is a locally administered gene therapy currently undergoing Phase II clinical development for knee osteoarthritis.

In November 2025, AmacaThera entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Pacira BioSciences for up to $230m for AMT-143, an investigational long-acting non-opioid anaesthetic.