Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) announced today that President and Chief Executive Officer John L. Higgins and Dr. Martin Meglasson, Vice President of Discovery Research, will be presenting at the Seventh Annual Needham & Company, LLC Biotechnology and Medical Technology Conference on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time (12:30 p.m. Pacific). The conference takes place at the New York Palace Hotel in New York City.

A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Company’s website www.ligand.com. A replay of the presentation will be archived on the site for 30 days.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand discovers and develops new drugs that address critical unmet medical needs of patients in the areas of thrombocytopenia, hepatitis C, cancer, hormone-related diseases, osteoporosis and inflammatory diseases. Ligand’s proprietary drug discovery and development programs are based on its leadership position in gene transcription technology, primarily related to intracellular receptors.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
John L. Higgins, President and CEO or
Erika Luib, Investor Relations
858-550-7896
or
Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates
Don Markley, 310-691-7100
dmarkley@lhai.com