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 PARTICIPATE
                            IN THOMAS WEISEL PARTNERS
                      HEALTHCARE TAILWINDS 2002 CONFERENCE


RALEIGH, NC, April 22, 2002 - Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (Nasdaq:SLXP) today
announced that the Company will participate in a panel discussion entitled "The
Future of Specialty Pharmaceuticals" at the Thomas Weisel Partners Healthcare
Tailwinds 2002 Conference in Boston, MA on Monday, April 29, 2002 at 11:15a.m.
EDT.

Interested parties can access a live audio webcast of the presentation at
http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/twp/healthcare-2002/97104138.cfm or
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http://www.salixpharm.com. A replay of the presentation will be archived and
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available through May 5.

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 late-stage or
marketed proprietary therapeutic drugs; complete the required development and
regulatory submission of these products; and market them through the Company's
60-member gastroenterology specialty sales force. Salix's lead product is
COLAZAL(R), 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. COLAZAL was well
tolerated in clinical studies. In clinical trials, patients reported the
following adverse events most frequently: headache (8%); abdominal pain (6%);
diarrhea (5%); nausea (5%); vomiting (4%); respiratory infection (4%); and
arthralgia (4%). Withdrawal from



therapy due to adverse events was comparable to placebo. Salix's next product
candidate is LUMENAX(TM) (rifaximin), currently in development for the potential
treatment of infections of the lower gastrointestinal tract. The Company
submitted an NDA for rifaximin for the treatment of travelers' diarrhea to the
FDA on December 26, 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.
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     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 risks
     of regulatory review and clinical trials, the need to acquire additional
     products and management of rapid growth. The reader is referred to the
     documents that the Company files from time to time with the Securities and
     Exchange Commission.