8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                 --------------

                                    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): October 10, 2002

                            ORCHID BIOSCIENCES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

     Delaware                     000-30267                    22-3392819
- ------------------            -----------------           ---------------------
 (State or other                (Commission                  (IRS Employer
 jurisdiction of                File Number)               Identification No.)
  incorporation)

                                4390 US Route One
                               Princeton, NJ 08540
               ---------------------------------------------------
               (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (609) 750-2200

                                 Not Applicable
          -------------------------------------------------------------
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)



Item 5. Other Events.

On October 11, 2002, Orchid BioSciences, Inc. ("Orchid") issued a press release
announcing that it provided an update on its business strategy as part of its
presentation at the UBS Warburg Global Life Sciences Conference on October 10,
2002. Orchid intends to phase out the SNP genotyping instruments and related
consumables offered by its Orchid Life Sciences strategic business unit. Orchid
plans to continue to provide advanced clinical-quality SNP genotyping services
to the pharmaceutical industry. Orchid also expects to continue to leverage its
leading SNP technology in providing genoprofiling services through its business
units which focus on the identity genomics, diagnostics and personalized
healthcare markets.

Orchid also announced that it is currently assessing various options for its SNP
tools business and expects actions to be finalized by the end of the year.
Orchid is seeking marketing partnerships and other arrangements or forms of
disposition are being sought. While Orchid is not yet able to determine the
definitive financial effect of this action, the company expects it to have a
minimal impact on 2002 top-line revenues, which Orchid currently estimates to be
approximately $65 million. Orchid reiterated its expectation of achieving
profitability in the fourth quarter of 2003.

The information contained in the press release is incorporated herein by
reference and filed as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.

(c)   Exhibits.

      99.1       Press release dated October 11, 2002.



                                   SIGNATURES

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

                                      ORCHID BIOSCIENCES, INC.
                                      (Registrant)

Date: October 15, 2002                /s/ Dale R. Pfost
                                      -------------------------
                                      Name:  Dale R. Pfost
                                      Title: President and CEO

EX-99.1

                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Orchid BioSciences, Inc.
(609) 750-2200
Tracy J. Henrikson
Director, Corporate Communications

              ORCHID BIOSCIENCES PROVIDES CORPORATE STRATEGY UPDATE

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 11, 2002 -- Orchid BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORCH)
yesterday provided an update on the company's business strategy as part of its
presentation at the UBS Warburg Global Life Sciences Conference. Orchid intends
to phase out the SNP genotyping instruments and related consumables offered by
its Orchid Life Sciences strategic business unit. The company plans to continue
to provide advanced clinical-quality SNP genotyping services to the
pharmaceutical industry. Orchid also expects to continue to leverage its leading
SNP technology in providing genoprofiling services through its business units
which focus on the identity genomics, diagnostics and personalized healthcare
markets.

This action is consistent with Orchid's refocusing of its business in
clinical-quality genoprofiling, which represents the largest portion of Orchid's
current revenues and expected future growth.

In his presentation at the UBS Warburg Conference, Dr. George Poste, Orchid's
recently-appointed chairman, noted that rising competition and short product
life cycles are making the market for research tools and reagents increasingly
less attractive. Continuing its sharp focus on expense reduction and achieving
profitability by the end of 2003, Orchid is concentrating its efforts on its
high growth service businesses where it already is a market leader in profiling
genetic uniqueness, including forensics and counter-terrorism, paternity,
agriculture, HLA testing for organ transplantation and the pioneering work of
its Orchid GeneShield unit in accelerating adoption of personalized medicine.

Orchid expects its core SNP-IT(TM) technology to continue to be a key strategic
advantage in its genoprofiling businesses. Orchid has recently successfully
adapted its SNP technology for forensic DNA testing to identify victims of the
World Trade Center disaster and is already applying its SNP genotyping
technology in its paternity and personalized healthcare businesses.

Orchid is currently assessing various options for its SNP tools business and
expects actions to be finalized by the end of the year. Marketing partnerships
and other arrangements or forms of disposition are being sought. While Orchid is
not yet able to determine the definitive financial effect of this action, the
company expects it to have a minimal impact on 2002 top-line revenues, which
Orchid currently estimates to be approximately $65 million. Orchid reiterated
its expectation of achieving profitability in the fourth quarter of 2003.

                                    - more -



ORCHID BIOSCIENCES PROVIDES CORPORATE STRATEGY UPDATE...2 OF 2

To access the webcast of Orchid's presentation at the UBS Warburg Conference, go
to www.ubswarburg.com, click on the "Events and Conferences" link located in the
lower right area of the page, and then click on the "Webcast" link under the
Global Life Sciences Conference heading. The webcast replay is available until
November 10, 2002.

About Orchid BioSciences
Orchid BioSciences is the leading provider of services and products for
profiling genetic uniqueness. Orchid's interlocking strategic business units
address distinctive markets that together represent a unique balance of
established, predictable growth, such as forensic and paternity DNA testing and
tissue matching for organ transplantation, and large upside potential, like
pharmacogenetics-based personalized healthcare. All leverage Orchid's network of
accredited genotyping laboratories, its leading technologies and its expertise
in genetic analysis. Orchid provides identity genomics testing for forensics and
paternity through Orchid Cellmark and Orchid GeneScreen. Orchid Diagnostics
markets products and services for HLA genotyping, disease susceptibility testing
and immunogenetics. Orchid GeneShield is developing pharmacogenetics-based
programs designed to accelerate the adoption of personalized healthcare. Orchid
provides advanced SNP genotyping services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology,
agricultural and academic customers and collaborations, and develops valuable
SNP markers and assays. More information on Orchid can be found at its web site
www.orchid.com.

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act as
amended, including statements regarding Orchid's (i) intention to phase out the
SNP genotyping instruments and related consumables offered by its Orchid Life
Sciences strategic business unit; (ii) plans to continue to provide advanced
clinical-quality SNP genotyping services to the pharmaceutical industry; (iii)
expectation that it will continue to leverage its leading SNP technology in
providing genoprofiling services through its other strategic business units
which focus on the identity genomics, diagnostics and personalized healthcare
markets; (iv) expectation of future growth in which clinical quality
genoprofiling represents the largest portion of revenues; (v) expectation that
its core SNP-IT(TM) technology will continue to be a key strategic advantage in
its genoprofiling businesses; (vi) plans to enter into marketing partnerships or
other arrangements or forms of disposition of its SNP tools business; (vii)
expectation that actions with respect to the disposition of its SNP tools
business will be finalized by the end of the year;(viii) expectation that the
disposition of its SNP tools business will have a minimal impact on 2002
top-line revenues, which Orchid currently estimates to be approximately $65
million; and (ix) expectation that Orchid will achieve profitability in the
fourth quarter of 2003. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected,
including, but not limited to, uncertainties relating to technologies, product
development, manufacturing, market acceptance, cost and pricing of Orchid
products and services, dependence on collaborations and partners, regulatory
approvals, competition, intellectual property of others, and patent protection
and litigation. These risks and other additional factors affecting Orchid's
business are discussed in the "Forward-Looking Statements" section of Orchid's
Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2002 and the "Overview" and
"Risk Factors" sections of Orchid's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2001, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Orchid expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any
updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to
reflect any change in Orchid's expectations with regard thereto or any change in
events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements are based,
except as may be required by law.

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