<Page>




                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1
                       Consent of Independent Accountants

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration
Statement on Form S-3 of our report dated February 8, 2002 relating to the
financial statements, which appears in Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001. We also
consent to the reference to us under the heading "Experts" in such
Registration Statement.

/s/ PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP


Raleigh, North Carolina
September 20, 2002