Core Insights - Preliminary data indicates that pre-existing and treatment-induced anti-Ad5 neutralizing antibodies do not affect the safety and effectiveness of PCRX-201 for knee osteoarthritis [1][2][4] - The findings will be presented at the ASGCT Annual Meeting, highlighting the potential of PCRX-201 as a durable treatment option for knee osteoarthritis [1][2] Company Overview - Pacira BioSciences, Inc. is focused on innovative, non-opioid pain therapies, with PCRX-201 being a key candidate for treating knee osteoarthritis [1][11] - The company has received RMAT designation from the FDA for PCRX-201, which facilitates efficient drug development and potential accelerated approval [6][7][10] Study Details - An open-label, phase 1 trial involved 72 participants aged 30 to 80, assessing the impact of anti-Ad5 neutralizing antibodies on PCRX-201 [3] - The study measured NAb titers and IL-1Ra levels over 52 weeks, with results showing no adverse effects on efficacy or safety across different dosing levels [4][5] Treatment Efficacy - All doses of PCRX-201 led to improvements in knee pain, stiffness, and function, as measured by WOMAC-A and WOMAC-B indices [4] - Corticosteroid pretreatment was found to reduce treatment-induced NAb titers and related knee swelling [5] Future Developments - A Phase 2 study (ASCEND study) is currently underway for PCRX-201, building on the promising Phase 1 results [8] - The innovative design of PCRX-201 utilizes a high-capacity adenovirus vector platform to enhance treatment efficacy for chronic inflammation in knee osteoarthritis [2][9]

Core Insights - Pacira BioSciences, Inc. is presenting new data on its gene therapy candidate PCRX-201 at the 2025 EULAR Annual Congress, highlighting its commitment to innovative, non-opioid pain therapies [1] Group 1: Clinical Data and Study Results - The Phase 1 study of PCRX-201 demonstrated that a single intra-articular injection was safe and provided sustained clinical benefits for patients with moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis over three years [2] - In a previous Phase 1 study, PCRX-201 showed sustained improvements in knee pain, stiffness, and function for two years post-administration, with a well-tolerated safety profile [3] - PCRX-201 has received RMAT designation from the FDA and ATMP designation from the EMA, marking it as the first gene therapy to achieve these clinical results in knee osteoarthritis [3] Group 2: Ongoing Research and Development - Following promising Phase 1 results, dosing is currently underway in a Phase 2 study (ASCEND study) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis [4] - The company is advancing the development of PCRX-201 as a novel, locally administered gene therapy aimed at treating prevalent diseases like osteoarthritis [5] Group 3: Company Overview - Pacira BioSciences focuses on delivering innovative, non-opioid pain therapies, with three commercial-stage products: EXPAREL, ZILRETTA, and iovera® [5] - EXPAREL is a long-acting local analgesic approved for various postsurgical pain management applications, while ZILRETTA is an extended-release injection for osteoarthritis knee pain [5]

Core Insights - Pacira BioSciences is set to present findings from its Phase 1 study of PCRX-201, a gene therapy for knee osteoarthritis, at the ASGCT Annual Meeting on May 15, focusing on the impact of neutralizing antibodies on therapy efficacy and safety [1][2] - The company has reported promising Phase 1 results showing sustained improvements in knee pain and function over two years, leading to regulatory designations from the FDA and EMA [4][5] Company Overview - Pacira BioSciences specializes in innovative, non-opioid pain therapies, with three commercial-stage products: EXPAREL, ZILRETTA, and iovera, alongside the development of PCRX-201 [6] - PCRX-201 utilizes a proprietary high-capacity adenovirus vector platform and targets chronic inflammatory processes in knee osteoarthritis, a condition affecting over 14 million individuals in the U.S. [3][4] Upcoming Events - The presentation titled "Understanding the Clinical Immunogenicity of Locally Injected HCAd Vector Provides Insight into Optimizing Dosing Strategy" will be delivered by Dr. MiJeong Kim on May 15 [2] - A symposium on "High-Capacity Adenoviral Vectors: Advancing Gene Therapy Beyond AAV to Deliver Cost-Effective Therapies for Common Diseases" is scheduled for May 16 [3]

Core Insights - Pacira BioSciences, Inc. announced new data on its gene therapy candidate PCRX-201, showing sustained improvements in knee pain, stiffness, and function for up to two years after a single local administration in patients with varying severity of osteoarthritis [2][3][9] Study Findings - The study presented at the 2025 OARSI World Congress demonstrated that PCRX-201 provided clinically meaningful improvements across all structural severity subgroups, including advanced disease [1][2] - The open-label, phase 1 trial involved 72 patients aged 30 to 80, stratified by the severity of knee osteoarthritis, graded on the Kellgren-Lawrence scale [4] - Improvements in pain, stiffness, and function were assessed using the WOMAC and KOOS scores, showing significant reductions across all cohorts and severity levels [6][7] Treatment Efficacy - Patients receiving corticosteroid pretreatment experienced greater benefits, with pain reductions of 48%-65% and stiffness reductions of 53%-72%, compared to 41%-58% and 33%-53% in the non-pretreated cohort [7] - The greatest improvement was observed in patients with K/L grade 2 osteoarthritis [7] Safety Profile - No serious treatment-emergent adverse events were reported, with treatment-related joint effusions being the most common adverse event, occurring in 36% of the corticosteroid-pretreated group and 61% of the non-pretreated group [8] Regulatory Designations - PCRX-201 received Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation from the FDA in March 2024, facilitating efficient drug development and potential accelerated approval [9][10] - The therapy also received Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) designation from the European Medicines Agency in May 2023 [10][13] Future Developments - Following promising Phase 1 results, a Phase 2 study (ASCEND study) is underway for PCRX-201, focusing on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis [11][13] - The company aims to advance its position as an innovative biopharmaceutical entity through this development [9]