On May 3, 2018 Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) reported consolidated financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 (Press release, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, MAY 3, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2346741 [SID1234526024]).

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"2018 is off to a terrific start with EXPAREL daily sales volumes accelerating from 6 percent in January to 15 percent in March, as well as a recently expanded label that now includes interscalene brachial plexus block," said Dave Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacira Pharmaceuticals. "As the only long-acting, single-dose nerve block commercially available, EXPAREL has the potential to eliminate cumbersome delivery technologies, like catheters and pumps, and shift more procedures to the outpatient setting. We believe this expanded label along with our robust educational initiatives and strong coalition of like-minded collaborators, including Johnson & Johnson, will fuel positive sales trends as we continue to drive meaningful change toward eliminating the role of the operating room as a gateway to opioid use and abuse."

First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

EXPAREL net product sales were $74.0 million in the first quarter of 2018, a 9% increase over the $67.7 million reported for the first quarter of 2017.

Total operating expenses were $81.5 million in the first quarter of 2018, compared to $83.3 million in the first quarter of 2017.

GAAP net loss was $10.7 million, or $(0.26) per share (basic and diluted), in the first quarter of 2018, compared to a GAAP net loss of $19.9 million, or $(0.52) per share (basic and diluted), in the first quarter of 2017.

Non-GAAP net income was $0.9 million, or $0.02 per share (basic and diluted) in the first quarter of 2018, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $7.3 million, or $(0.19) per share (basic and diluted) in the first quarter of 2017.

Pacira ended the first quarter of 2018 with cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments ("cash") of $361.5 million.

Pacira had 40.7 million basic weighted average shares of common stock outstanding in the first quarter of 2018.

For non-GAAP measures, Pacira had 41.6 million diluted weighted average shares of common stock outstanding in the first quarter of 2018.
2018 Outlook

Pacira reiterated its full year 2018 financial guidance as follows. Pacira expects:

EXPAREL net product sales of $300 million to $310 million.

Non-GAAP gross margins of 70% to 72%.

Non-GAAP research and development (R&D) expense of $50 million to $60 million.

Non-GAAP selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense of $150 million to $160 million.

Stock-based compensation of $30 million to $35 million.
See "Non-GAAP Financial Information" and "Reconciliations of GAAP to Non-GAAP 2018 Financial Guidance" below.

Today’s Conference Call and Webcast Reminder

The Pacira management team will host a conference call to discuss the company’s financial results and recent developments today, Thursday, May 3, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-845-0779 (domestic) or 1-720-545-0035 (international) ten minutes prior to the start of the call and providing the Conference ID 6585169.

A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the completion of the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (domestic) or 1-404-537-3406 (international) and providing the Conference ID 6585169. The replay of the call will be available for two weeks from the date of the live call.

The live, listen-only webcast of the conference call can also be accessed by visiting the "Investors & Media" section of the company’s website at investor.pacira.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Pacira website for two weeks following the call.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release contains financial measures that do not comply with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), such as non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP cost of goods sold, non-GAAP gross margins, non-GAAP research and development (R&D) expense and non-GAAP selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense, because such measures exclude stock-based compensation, amortization of debt discount, loss on early extinguishment of debt and exit costs related to the discontinuation of DepoCyt(e) production.

These measures supplement the company’s financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP. Pacira management uses these measures to better analyze its financial results, estimate its future cost of goods sold, gross margins, R&D expense and SG&A expense outlook for 2018 and to help make managerial decisions. In management’s opinion, these non-GAAP measures are useful to investors and other users of our financial statements by providing greater transparency into the operating performance at Pacira and the company’s future outlook. Such measures should not be deemed to be an alternative to GAAP requirements or a measure of liquidity for Pacira. Non-GAAP measures are also unlikely to be comparable with non-GAAP disclosures released by other companies. See the tables below for a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures, and a reconciliation of our GAAP to non-GAAP 2018 financial guidance for gross margins, R&D expense and SG&A expense.