Exhibit 5

                            BINGHAM DANA LLP
                           150 Federal Street
                            Boston, MA 02110

September 11, 2000

Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
2600 Stemmons Freeway, Suite 176
Dallas, Texas 75207

Re:  Registration Statement on Form S-8

Ladies and Gentlemen:

This opinion is furnished in connection with the registration, pursuant to
a Registration Statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Act"), to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on or about September 11, 2000 (the "Registration Statement"), of 2,000,000
shares (the "1995 Plan Shares") of common stock, par value $0.01 per share
(the "Common Stock"), of Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the "Company"), which are or will be issuable to employees, directors,
consultants and advisors of the Company upon the exercise of options granted
pursuant to the Company's 1995 Stock Option Plan, as amended (the "1995 Plan")
and 500,000 shares (the "2000 Plan Shares") of Common Stock which are issuable
to a certain director and officer of the Company upon the exercise of an
option granted pursuant to the Company's 2000 Special Stock Option
Plan (the "2000 Plan").

We have acted as counsel to the Company in connection with the foregoing
registration of the 1995 Plan Shares and the 2000 Plan Shares.  We have
examined and relied upon originals or copies of such records, instruments,
certificates, memoranda and other documents as we have deemed necessary or
advisable for purposes of this opinion and have assumed, without independent
inquiry, the accuracy of those documents.  In that examination, we have
assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to the originals
of all documents reviewed by us as copies, the authenticity and completeness
of all original documents reviewed by us in original or copy form and the
legal competence of each individual executing such documents.  We have further
assumed that all options granted or to be granted pursuant to the 1995 Plan
and the 2000 Plan were or will be validly granted in accordance with the
terms of the 1995 Plan and the 2000 Plan, respectively, and that all 1995
Plan Shares and 2000 Plan Shares to be issued upon exercise of such options
will be issued in accordance with the terms of such options and the 1995 Plan
and the 2000 Plan, respectively.

This opinion is limited solely to the Delaware General Corporation Law, as
applied by courts located in Delaware, the applicable provisions of the
Delaware Constitution and the reported judicial decisions interpreting
those laws.

Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that, upon the
issuance and delivery of the 1995 Plan Shares and the 2000 Plan Shares in
accordance with the terms of such options and the 1995 Plan and the 2000
Plan, respectively, the 1995 Plan Shares and the 2000 Plan Shares will be
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable shares of the Company's Common
Stock.

We consent to the filing of a copy of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement.

Very truly yours,

/s/Bingham Dana LLP