EXHIBIT 23.1
 
                             ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT
 
The Board of Directors
NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:
 
  We consent to incorporation by reference in Registration Statement No. 333-
02564 on Form S-3 and registration statement No. 33-79622 on Form S-8 of NPS
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of our report dated February 6, 1998, relating to the
balance sheets of NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of December 31, 1997 and 1996,
and the related statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows
for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1997, and
for the period from October 22, 1986 (inception) to December 31, 1997, which
report appears in the December 31, 1997, Annual Report on Form 10-K of NPS
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
 
                                          KPMG Peat Marwick LLP
 
Salt Lake City, Utah
March 30, 1998