Viatris said it will pay Pacira investors $36.50 per share in cash and expects the deal to close by the end of 2026. Pacira’s two main products, the post-surgical pain drug Exparel and the osteoarthritis knee-therapy Zilretta, booked $692 million in 2025 sales, up about 4 percent. Leerink analyst Daniel Clark called the transaction “immediately accretive” to revenue and a source of margin expansion into the 2030s, though generic erosion of Exparel is likely to begin in early 2030 under patent settlements with Fresenius Kabi and a Hengrui Pharma subsidiary.
Viatris buys Pacira for $1.65 billion to grow pain portfolio
Viatris agreed Thursday to buy Pacira BioSciences for $1.65 billion in cash, paying $36.50 a share, a 45 percent premium, to add the non-opioid pain drugs Exparel and Zilretta to its portfolio.
Why it matters: The deal extends Viatris's on-market asset-buying strategy and gives it a pain franchise that booked $692 million in 2025 sales, though generic pressure on Exparel could start as early as 2030.
Data as of Deal announced October 8, 2026, reported by BioPharma Dive; the Viatris announcement itself was not independently opened. Single-sourced.
Sources
- Viatris boosts pain drug portfolio with $1.7B buyout of Pacira · BioPharma Dive · 2026-10-08