Settlement talks delay FDA response in Pacira case

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York extended a deadline for FDA and the Department of Justice to respond to a lawsuit brought by Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) challenging the agency's restrictions on promoting pain drug Exparel bupivacaine. An order posted on the court's website Monday moved the deadline to Nov. 16 from Oct. 26.

The order said the parties "have engaged in and continue to engage in settlement discussions in hopes of resolving this case or, at a minimum, narrowing the dispute." The court suggested the new deadline may not hold, stating that the parties "anticipate that finalizing a settlement may require them to subsequently request a further extension of time, but they will endeavor before November 16, 2015, to finalize a settlement and/or determine whether settlement is impossible such that a resumption of adversarial litigation is necessary." ...