Pacira Pharma (NASDAQ: PCRX) reported Q1 EPS of $0.56, $0.07 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.63. Revenue for the quarter came in at $119 million versus the consensus estimate of $119.28 million.

First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

• Total revenues were $119.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, versus $105.7 million reported for the first quarter of 2020.
• EXPAREL net product sales were $114.7 million in the first quarter of 2021, versus $101.3 million reported for the first quarter of 2020.
• First quarter 2021 iovera° net product sales were $3.3 million, versus $2.3 million reported for the first quarter of 2020.
• Sales of bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension to a third-party licensee for use in veterinary practice were $0.8 million in the first quarter of 2021, versus the $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2020.
• First quarter 2021 royalty revenues were $0.3 million, versus the $0.9 million in the first quarter of 2020.
• Total operating expenses were $99.6 million in the first quarter of 2021, compared to $88.6 million in the first quarter of 2020.
• Research and development (R&D) expenses were $15.9 million in the first quarter of 2021, compared to $15.8 million in the first quarter of 2020. R&D expenses include $4.7 million and $6.6 million of product development and manufacturing capacity expansion costs in the first quarters of 2021 and 2020, respectively.
• Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $48.5 million in the first quarter of 2021, compared to $44.8 million in the first quarter of 2020.
• GAAP net income was $10.4 million, or $0.24 per share (basic) and $0.23 (diluted), in the first quarter of 2021, compared to GAAP net income of $8.2 million, or $0.19 per share (basic and diluted), in the first quarter of 2020.
• Non-GAAP net income was $24.5 million, or $0.56 per share (basic) and $0.53 (diluted), in the first quarter of 2021, compared to non-GAAP net income of $22.8 million, or $0.54 per share (basic) and $0.53 (diluted), in the first quarter of 2020.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $36.2 million in the first quarter of 2021, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $26.9 million in the first quarter of 2020.
• Pacira ended the first quarter of 2021 with cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments (“cash”) of $625.0 million. Cash provided by operations was $12.1 million in the first quarter of 2021, compared to $6.2 million in the first quarter of 2020.
• Pacira had 43.8 million basic and 46.0 million diluted weighted average shares of common stock outstanding in the first quarter of 2021.

“2021 is off to a terrific start with notable progress taking place across all areas of our business,” said Dave Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacira BioSciences. “The launch of EXPAREL for pediatric patients is going exceptionally well and already garnering a high level of receptivity and enthusiasm from key opinion leaders at the top children’s hospitals. We continue to see expanding utilization of EXPAREL-based nerve and field blocks as a cornerstone of low- or no-opioid protocols that enable accelerated recovery and surgical migration to the outpatient setting, as evidenced by EXPAREL consistently outpacing the elective surgery market. In addition, commercial enhancements for iovera° are taking hold and driving a substantial increase in sales and ordering accounts.”

“The Pacira Innovation and Training Center of Tampa is addressing the market’s significant demand for effective, long-acting opioid-sparing pain management strategies through a robust offering of live and virtual programs for both EXPAREL and iovera°. Looking ahead, we remain well-positioned to continue to deliver strong top- and bottom-line growth as the COVID crisis recedes and the elective surgery market normalizes,” concluded Mr. Stack.

Financial Guidance

The company’s 2021 product sales continue to be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which mandated significant postponement or suspension in the scheduling of elective surgical procedures resulting from public health guidance and government directives. Elective surgery restrictions began to lift on a state-by-state basis in April 2020. In order to provide greater transparency, the company will continue to report monthly intra-quarter unaudited net product sales until it has gained enough visibility around the impacts of COVID-19. The company is also providing weekly EXPAREL utilization and elective surgery data within its investor presentation, which is accessible at investor.pacira.com.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Pacira Pharma (PCRX) click here.