Exhibit 99.1






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Adam C. Derbyshire                 Mike Freeman
         Vice President and                 Director, Investor Relations and
         Chief Financial Officer            Corporate Communications
         919 862-1000                       919 862-1000


                 SALIX PHARMACEUTICALS TO PRESENT AT UBS WARBURG
                   GLOBAL SPECIALTY PHARMACEUTICALS CONFERENCE

RALEIGH, NC, May 21, 2001 - Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (Nasdaq:SLXP) today
announced that Robert Ruscher, President and Chief Executive Officer, will
present to the investment community at the UBS Warburg Global Specialty
Pharmaceuticals Conference in New York, NY at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 22,
2001.

Interested parties can access the presentation through a conference call
facility. The telephone numbers to access the live conference call are (888)
515-2781 and (719) 457-2605. A replay of the conference call will be available
by the end of the day, May 22, and will be available for approximately two
weeks. The telephone numbers to access the replay are (800) 759-8603 and (402)
220-8537.

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, develops
and markets prescription pharmaceutical products for the treatment of
gastrointestinal diseases. Salix's strategy is to in-license proprietary
therapeutic drugs that have an existing database of positive, late-stage
clinical data; complete the development and regulatory submission of these
products; and market them through the Company's gastroenterology specialty sales
force. Salix's lead product is COLAZAL(TM), an anti-inflammatory drug approved
for the treatment of mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis. The Company
launched the product in the U.S. through its




specialty sales force in January 2001. Salix's follow-on product candidate is
rifaximin, currently in development for the potential treatment of infections of
the lower gastrointestinal tract. The Company currently intends to submit an NDA
for rifaximin for the treatment of infectious diarrhea to the U.S. FDA in late
2001. Salix trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the ticker symbol "SLXP."

For more information please contact the Company at 919-862-1000 or visit our web
site at www.salixpharm.com.

       Please Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements
       regarding future events. These statements are just predictions and are
       subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or
       results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include the
       risks of clinical trials and regulatory review, market acceptance of our
       products, and the need to acquire new products. The reader is referred to
       the documents that the Company files from time to time with the
       Securities and Exchange Commission.