Pacira Pharmaceuticals has announced that commercial production of EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is now underway at a custom suite in Swindon, UK created under the company’s partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific Pharma Services (formerly Patheon UK Limited).  This first suite was designed to mirror the company’s existing facility at the Pacira Science Center Campus in San Diego, CA and is expected to double the company’s manufacturing capacity.  Through the partnership, the companies are developing a second dedicated suite that is expected to enable another doubling of EXPAREL manufacturing capacity in approximately two years. The company’s investment in this facility is an integral component of its strategy to meet the growing customer demand in the U.S. and to support expansion into new global markets, such as Europe and Asia. 

“Launching this new manufacturing site marks an important milestone for Pacira and advances our commitment to providing an opioid alternative to as many surgical patients as possible,” said Dave Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacira. “Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing and we look forward to advancing this partnership to meet the growing demand for EXPAREL as the only opioid-free, long-acting, local and regional analgesic approved for infiltration, field blocks and interscalene brachial plexus nerve block.”