Item 8.01 Other Events.

On April 21, 2009 ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "Company") issued a press release announcing that its third oncology product candidate - an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor discovered by ARIAD scientists - regulates multiple cancer pathways and is active in preclinical models of lung cancer, lymphoma and neuroblastoma. Preclinical data on ARIAD's ALK inhibitor program are being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Denver, Colorado.

A copy of the press release is being filed herewith as Exhibit 99.1 and this information contained therein is incorporated by reference into this Current Report on Form 8-K.