Pacira Expands Fight With Jiangsu Over Surgery-Pain Drug Patents

Pacira BioSciences Inc. expanded its courtroom battle with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. and its eVenus unit, alleging in a new lawsuit that eVenus’ proposed generic version of Exparel infringes two patents for the drug, a long-acting injectable painkiller for managing postsurgical pain.

In the latest complaint, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Pacira added a patent that was issued Nov. 23 and covers a composition of bupivacaine, the drug’s active ingredient, encapsulated in multivesicular liposomes, or MVLs. The drug’s delivery mechanism and gradual release, Pacira said, “reduces or eliminates the use of ...