================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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

                                AMENDMENT NO 1 ON
                                   FORM 10-K/A
                          TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

(Mark One)
|X|   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
      ACT OF 1934
      For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001
                                       OR
|_|   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
      EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
      For the transition period __________ to __________

                         COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 0-20580

                           LIFE MEDICAL SCIENCES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

               Delaware                                          14-1745197
    (State or other jurisdiction of                           (I.R.S. Employer
     incorporation or organization)                          Identification No.)

P.O. Box 219, Little Silver, New Jersey                            07739
(Address of principal executive offices)                         (Zip Code)

                                 (732) 728-1769
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

           Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

                                      NONE
                              (Title of each class)

           Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
                     COMMON STOCK--PAR VALUE $.001 PER SHARE
                                      UNITS
                           REDEEMABLE CLASS A WARRANTS
                           REDEEMABLE CLASS B WARRANTS
                                (Title of class)

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES |X| NO |_|

      Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item
405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the
best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K. |X|

      The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of
the registrant as of March 8, 2002 was approximately $4.5 million.

      As of March 8, 2002, 15,535,650 shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value,
of the registrant were issued and outstanding.

                      DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

      Portions of the registrant's definitive proxy statement to be filed
pursuant to Regulation 14A in connection with solicitation of proxies for its
2002 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III
of this Form 10-K.

================================================================================
<PAGE>

      Item 14, Item a(1) of the Registrant's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2001 which was filed on March 22, 2002 is hereby amended and
restated in its entirety. Such amendment is being made as a result of the change
in the last sentence of the second paragraph of Footnote M [1] regarding the
warrants received as a placement fee. The placement fee consisted of 91,667
Units and a two-year warrant to purchase an additional 916,667 shares of Common
Stock.

<PAGE>

                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this amendment to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.


                                       Life Medical Sciences, Inc.
                                       (Registrant)

                                       By:   /s/ Robert P. Hickey
                                           ------------------------
                                           Robert P. Hickey
                                             Chairman, President, CEO and CFO
                                             (principal executive, financial and
                                             accounting officer)

Dated: March 26, 2002