Pacira BioSciences to Present 3-Year Data Demonstrating Sustained Pain and Function Improvements in Knee Osteoarthritis with Investigational PCRX-201 Gene Therapy

Core Insights - Pacira BioSciences, Inc. is set to present new data from its Phase 1 clinical trial of PCRX-201, a gene therapy for knee osteoarthritis, at the ACR Convergence 2025 meeting [1] - A Phase 2 study, known as the ASCEND study, is currently ongoing for PCRX-201 [2] Group 1: Clinical Data and Efficacy - PCRX-201 has shown sustained improvements in knee pain, stiffness, and function over two years in a Phase 1 study involving 72 patients, with a well-tolerated safety profile [4] - The therapy has received RMAT designation from the FDA and ATMP designation from the EMA, marking it as the first gene therapy to achieve such results in knee osteoarthritis [4] Group 2: Technology and Platform - The high-capacity adenovirus vector platform acquired from GQ Bio Therapeutics enables efficient gene delivery, addressing challenges in gene therapy for common diseases like osteoarthritis [5] - The HCAd vector can carry up to 30,000 base pairs of DNA, allowing for the potential administration of multiple or larger genes compared to traditional AAV vectors [6] Group 3: Company Overview - Pacira specializes in innovative, non-opioid pain therapies, with three commercial-stage products including EXPAREL, ZILRETTA, and iovera [6][7] - The company is advancing PCRX-201 as a locally administered gene therapy aimed at treating prevalent diseases such as osteoarthritis [7]