EXHIBIT 99.1

                      LA JOLLA PHARMACEUTICAL TO PRESENT AT
                  WELLS FARGO SECURITIES HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE


SAN DIEGO, MARCH 22, 2004 - La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (Nasdaq: LJPC) today
announced that Steven B. Engle, Chairman and CEO of La Jolla Pharmaceutical,
will present this Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time during
the Wells Fargo Securities Healthcare Conference. The conference will take place
at the St. Regis Hotel in New York, NY. An audio webcast of the presentation
will be available through the Company's website http://www.ljpc.com.

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company is a biotechnology company developing
therapeutics for antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases and inflammation
afflicting several million people in the United States and Europe. The Company
is developing Riquent(R), formerly known as LJP 394, for the treatment of lupus
kidney disease, a leading cause of sickness and death in patients with lupus.
The Company is also developing LJP 1082 for the treatment of antibody-mediated
thrombosis, a condition in which patients suffer from recurrent stroke,
deep-vein thrombosis and other thrombotic events, and is in the early stage of
developing small molecules to treat various other autoimmune and inflammatory
conditions. The Company's common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market
under the symbol LJPC. For more information about the Company, visit its
website: http://www.ljpc.com.

The forward-looking statements in this press release involve significant risks
and uncertainties, and a number of factors, both foreseen and unforeseen, could
cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations.
Forward-looking statements include those that express a plan, belief,
expectation, estimation, anticipation, intent, contingency, future development
or similar expression. Although our New Drug Application ("NDA") for Riquent(R)
has been accepted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (the "FDA")
for review, there is no guarantee that the FDA will approve Riquent in a timely
manner, or at all. Our analyses of clinical results of Riquent, previously known
as LJP 394, our drug candidate for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus
("lupus"), and LJP 1082, our drug candidate for the treatment of
antibody-mediated thrombosis ("thrombosis"), are ongoing and could result in a
finding that these drug candidates are not effective in large patient
populations, do not provide a meaningful clinical benefit, or may reveal a
potential safety issue requiring us to develop new candidates. The analysis of
the data from our Phase 3 trial of Riquent showed that the trial did not reach
statistical significance with respect to its primary endpoint, time to renal
flare, or to the secondary endpoint, time to treatment with high-dose
corticosteroids or cyclophosphamide. Although our NDA for Riquent has been
accepted for review by the FDA, the results from our clinical trials of Riquent
may not ultimately be sufficient to obtain regulatory clearance to market
Riquent either in the United States or Europe, and we may be required to conduct
additional clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Riquent in
order to obtain marketing approval. There is no guarantee, however, that we will
have the necessary resources to complete any additional trial, that we will
elect to conduct an additional trial, or that any additional trial will
sufficiently demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Riquent. Our blood test to



measure the binding affinity for Riquent is experimental, has not been validated
by independent laboratories and will likely be reviewed as part of the Riquent
approval process. Our other potential drug candidates are at earlier stages of
development and involve comparable risks. Analysis of our clinical trials could
have negative or inconclusive results. Any positive results observed to date may
not be indicative of future results. In any event, regulatory authorities may
require additional clinical trials, or may not approve our drugs. Our ability to
develop and sell our products in the future may be adversely affected by the
intellectual property rights of third parties. Additional risk factors include
the uncertainty and timing of: obtaining required regulatory approvals,
including delays associated with any approvals that we may obtain; the clear
need for additional financing; our ability to pass FDA pre-approval inspections
of our manufacturing facilities and processes; the increase in capacity of our
manufacturing capabilities for possible commercialization; successfully
marketing and selling our products; our lack of manufacturing, marketing and
sales experience; our ability to make use of the orphan drug designation for
Riquent; generating future revenue from product sales or other sources such as
collaborative relationships; future profitability; and our dependence on patents
and other proprietary rights. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance
upon forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and we
undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events
or circumstances occurring after the date hereof. Interested parties are urged
to review the risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2003, and in other reports and registration statements that
we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

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