Pacira's Exparel painkiller meets main goal in Phase III

• Pacira Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ:PCRX) Exparel significantly reduced pain vs a placebo in a Phase III trial of a 183 patients who had just received knee surgery.
• Doctors can already administer Exparel at the sight of the pain; the latest study tested the treatment when applied to a major nerve next to the area of the operation, which is designed to block the pain until the nerve endings. (PR)