8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) November 8, 2002


                           SALIX PHARMACEUTICALS, LTD.

      --------------------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                                    Delaware

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)


       000-23265                                               94-3267443
- ------------------------                                ------------------------
(Commission file Number)                                (IRS Employer ID Number)


8540 Colonnade Center Drive, Suite 501, Raleigh, North Carolina   27615
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Address of principal executive offices)                        (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code                 919) 862-1000









Item 5.  Other Events and Regulation FD Disclosure

         Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. issued a press release on November 8, 2002,
announcing that it will present at the Credit Suisse First Boston Health Care
Conference on Wednesday, November 13 at 12:30 p.m. ET. A copy of this press
release is attached as an exhibit.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

(c)   Exhibits

        99.1   Press Release dated November 8, 2002




                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                  SALIX PHARMACEUTICALS, LTD.



Date: November 8, 2002            By:    /s/      Adam C. Derbyshire
                                      ------------------------------------------
                                      Adam C. Derbyshire
                                      Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

EX-99.1

                                                                    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
                     CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON HEALTH CARE
                     CONFERENCE

RALEIGH, NC, November 8, 2002 - Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (Nasdaq:SLXP) today
announced that the Company will present at the Credit Suisse First Boston Health
Care Conference on Wednesday, November 13 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Interested parties can access a live audio web cast of the presentation at
http://www.salix.com. A replay of the presentation will be available beginning
at 2:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, November 13, and will be available through
Wednesday, November 20.

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 first marketed product
is COLAZAL(R) (balsalazide disodium) Capsules 750 mg, an anti-inflammatory drug
approved for the treatment of mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis.
Safety and effectiveness of COLAZAL beyond 12 weeks has not been established.
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
rifaximin, currently in development






for the potential treatment of infections of the gastrointestinal tract. The
Company submitted an NDA for rifaximin for the treatment of travelers' diarrhea
to the FDA on December 26, 2001. The Company received an approvable letter from
the FDA on October 25, 2002 and is currently working with the FDA to complete
the approval process. In July 2002, Salix acquired exclusive U.S. development
and marketing rights to a pellet formulation of mesalamine. The Company intends
to complete the development work required to secure regulatory approval for the
product in the U.S. 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.salix.com. Information on our web site is not incorporated in our
SEC filings.

                                       ###

       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.