Company: PCRX
Filing Date: 2025-02-27
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001396814-25-000041
Chunk: 214

Company: Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-27
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 214
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Some of our older patents have already expired. In the case of EXPAREL, the European and U.S. patents protecting the formulation of EXPAREL expired in 2018. An existing formulation patent for EXPAREL expired in November 2013. An existing formulation patent for EXPAREL expired in the U.S. in 2013 and its equivalents in Canada, Germany, France, Spain, 

Pacira BioSciences, Inc.  |  2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K  |  Page 55

Italy and the U.K. expired in 2014. In Europe, manufacturers qualify for 8 years of data exclusivity upon marketing authorization approval and an additional two years of market exclusivity, for a total of 10 years of regulatory exclusivity. Our earliest patent family for iovera° is scheduled to expire in December 2025, though that patent family is primarily focused on treating cosmetic defects that are no longer the focus of iovera°. Once our patents covering EXPAREL, ZILRETTA and iovera° have expired, we will be more reliant on trade secrets to protect against generic competition.

We also rely on trade secrets to protect our technology, particularly where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. While we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets through confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, our licensors, employees, consultants, contractors, outside scientific collaborators and other advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose our information to competitors. Policing unauthorized use of our trade secrets or enforcing a claim that a third-party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, trade secret laws in other countries may not be as protective as they are in the U.S. Thus, courts outside the U.S. are sometimes less willing to protect trade secrets. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how.

In order to protect the goodwill associated with our company and product names, we rely on trademark protection for our marks. We have registered the “Pacira,” “EXPAREL,” “ZILRETTA,” “iovera°” and other marks with the USPTO. A third-party may assert a claim that one of our marks is confusingly similar to its mark, and such claims or the failure to timely register a mark or objections by the FDA or other regulatory agency could force us to