POWER OF ATTORNEY

        Know all by these presents, that the
undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of Stephen L. Mueller and
Diana LeBlanc, signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful
attorney-in-fact to:

(1)	execute for and on behalf of the undersigned,
in the undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or director of Texas
Biotechnology Corporation (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance
with section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules
thereunder;

(2)	do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any
such Form 3, 4, or 5, complete and execute any amendment or amendments
thereto, and timely file such form with the Unitd States Securities and
Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar authority;
and

(3)	take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with
the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of
benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the
undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such
attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of
Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and conditions
as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's
discretion.

        The undersigned hereby grants to each such
attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do 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 attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's
substitute or substitutes, 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
coomply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

	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
23rd day of August, 2002.






/s/ Suzanne Oparil, M.D.
Signature




Suzanne Oparil, M.D.
Print Name