LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR SECTION 16 REPORTING
The undersigned
hereby
constitutes and appoints Russell H. Plumb, William D. Johnston and
Melissa
Coyne or any of them, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution,
the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to
prepare, execute,
deliver and file for and on behalf of the undersigned,
in the undersigned's
capacity as an officer, director and/or 10% owner of
Inhibitex, Inc. (the
"Company"), Forms 3, 4 and 5 (including any
amendments to such Forms,
whether filed prior to or after the date of
this Power of Attorney) with
respect to the securities of the Company in
accordance with Section 16(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and the rules
thereunder ("Section 16(a)").
The undersigned
hereby grants to such
attorneys-in-fact full power and authority do to
and perform any and every
act and thing whatsoever requisite, necessary,
or proper to be done in the
exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all
intents and purposes as the undersigned
might or could do if personally
present, with full power of substitution
or revocation, hereby ratifying
and confirming all that such
attorneys-in-fact shall lawfully do or cause
to be done by virtue of this
Power of Attorney and the rights and powers
herein granted.
The
undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact, in serving
in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming, nor
is the Company assuming, any of the
undersigned's responsibilities to
comply with Section 16(a).
This Power
of Attorney shall remain in full
force and effect until the undersigned is
no longer required to file
Forms 3, 4 and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and
transactions in securities issued by the
Company, unless earlier revoked
by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
undersigned has caused this
Power of Attorney to be executed as of this 3rd
day of May, 2004


Name:
/s/ Joseph M. Patti