Exhibit 23.1


                          INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT

         We consent  to the  incorporation  by  reference  in this  Registration
Statement  of SunPharm  Corporation  (the  "Company")  on Form S-3 of our report
dated March 14, 1997 (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes
an explanatory  paragraph  referring to recurring losses incurred by the Company
from inception and to an uncertainty surrounding the Company's ability to obtain
sufficient  financing in 1997 which raises substantial doubt about the Company's
ability to continue as a going concern),  appearing in the Annual Report on Form
10-KSB of SunPharm  Corporation for the year ended December 31, 1996, and to the
reference to us under the heading  "Experts" in the Prospectus,  which is a part
of this Registration Statement.



DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Jacksonville, Florida

November 20, 1997