Table of Contents

Table of Contents

                                                                 Exhibit 99.1
Investor Contacts:
Elizabeth Foster or Claudia Jones of Neurocrine Biosciences
(858) 617-7757 or (858) 617-7759

Media Contact: Liz Frank of Cohn & Wolfe
(212) 798-9734

           NEUROCRINE SUBMITS NEW DRUG APPLICATION (NDA) FOR INDIPLON
            IMMEDIATE RELEASE CAPSULES FOR THE TREATMENT OF INSOMNIA

San Diego, CA, October 19, 2004 - Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX)
announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) for regulatory approval of indiplon immediate
release capsules for the treatment of insomnia. The application contains safety
and efficacy results from seven Phase III clinical trials with indiplon
immediate release conducted in adult and elderly patients with transient and
chronic insomnia. Neurocrine is developing two formulations of indiplon, an
immediate release capsule and modified release tablet, for the treatment of
multiple forms of insomnia. Neurocrine expects to submit a second NDA for
indiplon modified release tablets in November. This first NDA submission
contains non-clinical, clinical and manufacturing information that is common to
both applications.

The NDA has been submitted in electronic common technical document format
(e-CTD). It includes data from a comprehensive safety and efficacy evaluation in
approximately 3000 subjects.

"Insomnia affects over 85 million younger and older adults every year and is
becoming more recognized by physicians as a disease that affects many aspects of
patients' health and well- being. Insomnia is not a one size fits all condition
as patients experience various types of sleep difficulties and symptoms such as
trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep or waking up frequently during
the night. Indiplon capsules and tablets have consistently demonstrated robust
efficacy and safety in repeated clinical evaluations, measuring multiple
parameters of sleep difficulties. These results confirm that indiplon will offer
physicians a significant improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of patients'
individual sleep needs," said Dr. Thomas Roth, Director Sleep Disorders Center,
Henry Ford Hospital.

"The submission of the indiplon NDA is a significant milestone for Neurocrine,
the first in the Company's history. Indiplon is an important advancement in the
treatment of insomnia as it was specifically designed and developed to address
the individual sleep needs of patients. Indiplon capsules have consistently
demonstrated that patients fall asleep faster, have improved sleep quality and
sleep duration. Phase III safety and efficacy clinical trials have shown that
indiplon capsules can be taken during the night for patients who suffer from
nighttime awakenings and have been shown to be safe and effective for long term
chronic usage. We are pleased to have Pfizer, the leading global pharmaceutical
company, as our partner in the development and commercialization of indiplon,"
said Gary A. Lyons, President and CEO of Neurocrine Biosciences.

                                     -MORE-




ABOUT INDIPLON
Indiplon is a unique non-benzodiazapine agent that acts on a specific site of
the GABA-A receptor. Indiplon has been shown to bind selectively to the specific
subtype of GABA-A receptors within the brain believed to be responsible for
promoting sleep. Two formulations of indiplon, immediate release capsules and
modified release tablets, are being evaluated in clinical trials to address
different types of sleep problems. Indiplon was licensed from DOV Pharmaceutical
in 1998.

Insomnia is a prevalent condition in the United States, with approximately 40
percent of the adult population reporting trouble sleeping a few nights per week
or more, according to the National Sleep Foundation's (NSF) Sleep in America
Poll 2002. Approximately 35 percent of the adult population reports that they
have experienced insomnia every night or almost every night within the past
year. Insomnia remains a disorder with high unmet medical needs, including
prolonged awakenings during the night with difficulty falling back to sleep.

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. is a product-based biopharmaceutical company
focused on neurological and endocrine diseases and disorders. Our product
candidates address some of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world
including insomnia, anxiety, depression, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, irritable
bowel syndrome, eating disorders, pain, and autoimmunity. Neurocrine
Biosciences, Inc. news releases are available through the Company's website via
the Internet at http://www.neurocrine.com

In addition to historical facts, this press release may contain forward-looking
statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the
forward looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with
Neurocrine's business and finances, but not limited to, risk and uncertainties
associated with the Company's indiplon program and planned regulatory
activities. Specifically, the risks and uncertainties the Company faces with
respect to its indiplon program include, but are not limited to, the risk that
regulatory authorities may reject our regulatory filings or find them incomplete
or insufficient; risk that additional clinical studies may be required to
support filings for regulatory approval; risk relating to the Company's
dependence on contract manufacturers for clinical drug supply and compliance
with regulatory requirements for marketing approval; risk that the Company may
not successfully co-ordinate the completion and submission of additional planned
indiplon regulatory filings, and specifically the indiplon modified release NDA
on the Company's projected timelines; risk that the Company may not receive
regulatory approval for indiplon or approval may be delayed; risks associated
with the Company's dependence on corporate collaborators for commercial
manufacturing and marketing and sales activities; risk that the indiplon
labeling granted by regulatory authorities may limit the commercial success of
indiplon; uncertainties relating to patent protection and intellectual property
rights of third parties; risks and uncertainties relating to competitive
products and technological changes that may limit demand for the Company's
products; risk that the Company will be unable to raise additional funding
required to complete development of all of its product candidates; and the other
risks described in the Company's report on Form 10-




K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and most recent 10-Q filed for the second
quarter ended, June 30, 2004. Neurocrine undertakes no obligation to update the
statements contained in this press release after the date hereof.

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