8-K

                                    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 4, 2002
                                                   ----------------------------

                         TRIANGLE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

       DELAWARE                      000-21589                 56-1930728
- -----------------------------   ------------------    -------------------------
(State or other jurisdiction        (Commission              (IRS Employer
  of incorporation)                 File Number)          Identification No.)

     4 University Place, 4611 University Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27707
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               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code        (919) 493-5980
                                                   ----------------------------

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         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)







Item 5.  Other Events

         On November 4, 2002, Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. issued a press
release, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, and is incorporated
herein by reference.


Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c)   Exhibits.   The following document is incorporated by reference to this
                  Report:

       99.1       Press release dated November 4, 2002.




                                   SIGNATURES

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



                                        Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
                                    ---------------------------------------
                                                 (Registrant)
    November 4, 2002                         /s/ Daniel G. Welch.
- -------------------------------     ---------------------------------------
          Date                                   (Signature)
                                    Name: Daniel G. Welch
                                    Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

EX-99.1

                                                                   EXHIBIT 99.1
CONTACT:

Mr. Daniel G. Welch                         Mr. Robert F. Amundsen, Jr.
Chairman and Chief Executive                Executive Vice President and Chief
  Officer                                     Financial Officer
Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.              Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(919) 493-5980                              (919) 493-5980
www.tripharm.com                            www.tripharm.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

        COVIRACIL(R)NDA FOR THE TREATMENT OF HIV DISEASE ACCEPTED BY THE
                          FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

DURHAM, N.C., NOVEMBER 4, 2002 -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIRS)
announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified
the Company that its New Drug Application (NDA) for marketing approval of
Coviracil for the treatment of HIV disease has been accepted for filing. Filing
of the NDA is recognition by the FDA that the application is sufficiently
complete for review.

"We are very pleased with this notification," commented Daniel G. Welch,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Triangle. He continued, "Consistent with
our previous guidance when we submitted our NDA, the FDA granted Coviracil a
standard review. This means that as early as the third quarter of 2003, we hope
to have our first NDA approved. We believe, once approved, Coviracil will offer
patients and physicians an important new medicine for the management of HIV
disease. We will now turn our efforts to completion of the review process with
the FDA to work towards the timely approval of Coviracil."

Coviracil is a potent, once-a-day Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor
(NRTI). The NDA includes data from over 2,000 patients and is supported by two
pivotal trials, FTC-303 and FTC-301. Triangle expects to file a European
Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) by December 31, 2002.

Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in
the development of new antiviral drug candidates, with a particular focus on
therapies for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis B virus.
Triangle's proprietary drug candidates under development for HIV and/or
hepatitis B include Coviracil(R) (emtricitabine), amdoxovir (formerly DAPD), and
clevudine (formerly L-FMAU). Triangle is also developing immunotherapies for
hepatitis B in collaboration with Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Dynavax)
utilizing Dynavax' immunostimulatory sequence (ISS) technology. More information
about Triangle's portfolio, management and product development strategy is
available on Triangle's website.

STATEMENTS IN THIS PRESS RELEASE THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS ARE
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO NUMEROUS RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES,
INCLUDING THE RISK THAT WE MAY NOT SUBMIT OUR COVIRACIL MAA AS PLANNED AND OUR
COVIRACIL NDA OR MAA MAY





NOT RECEIVE REGULATORY APPROVAL, OR IF APPROVED, COVIRACIL MAY NOT ACHIEVE
MARKET ACCEPTANCE OR THE MEDICAL RESULTS WE EXPECT. THESE AND OTHER RISKS ARE
DISCUSSED IN DETAIL FROM TIME TO TIME IN OUR FILINGS WITH THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION. AS A RESULT OF THESE AND OTHER RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES,
ACTUAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE PREDICTED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE.
TRIANGLE DISCLAIMS ANY OBLIGATIONS TO UPDATE ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS IN
THIS PRESS RELEASE.