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): November 1, 2002

                           ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)


          Delaware                    0-21696                22-3106987
(State or Other Jurisdiction (Commission File Number)     (I.R.S. Employer
   of Incorporation)                                    Identification No.)


                              26 LANDSDOWNE STREET
                         CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02139
              (Address of principal executive offices and zip code)


               Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
                                 (617) 494-0400






ITEM 5.      OTHER EVENTS

             On November 1, 2002, the Registrant disseminated a Press Release
             announcing that its novel anemia product candidate produced
             therapeutically effective amounts of the hormone erythropoietin
             (EPO) more than four years after one-time injection in monkeys of
             the Company's patented gene complex.

             The information contained in the Press Release dated November 1,
             2002 is incorporated herein by reference and attached as Exhibit
             99.1 hereto.

ITEM 7.      FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS.


             (c)  Exhibits.

                  99.1 The Registrant's Press Release dated November 1, 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 thereunto duly authorized.


                                     ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.



                                     By:    /s/ Edward M. Fitzgerald
                                            ------------------------
                                            Edward M. Fitzgerald
                                            Senior Vice President and
                                            Chief Financial Officer


Date:      November 1, 2002











                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number               Description                                                              Sequential Page Number
- -------              -----------                                                              ----------------------

                                                                                                 
99.1                 The Registrant's Press Release dated November 1, 2002.                             4








Dramatic Long-Term Benefit of ARIAD's Novel Erythropoeitin Anemia
Product Candidate to Be Presented at Annual Kidney Disease Meeting

    CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Nov. 1, 2002--ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(Nasdaq: ARIA) today announced that its novel anemia product candidate
- - to be taken as a pill by patients once or twice a month in place of
frequent protein injections - produces therapeutically effective
amounts of the hormone erythropoeitin (EPO) more than four years after
one-time injection in monkeys of ARIAD's patented gene complex.
Throughout this lengthy period, the amount and timing of in vivo EPO
release were precisely controlled by administration of ARIAD's
patented small-molecule drug, AP22594, and the potency of the product
candidate did not decline. AP22594 continues to be given chronically
to the monkeys.
    "This ongoing study provides compelling evidence that our AP22594
product candidate for the treatment of anemia may be a highly
competitive and preferable alternative to recombinant EPO, the best
selling genetically engineered drug to date," said Harvey J. Berger,
M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of ARIAD. "With growing
concern by physicians over red blood cell aplasia as a serious
complication of certain brands of recombinant EPO, a completely new
product concept appears particularly beneficial."
    Monkeys received an injection of a specially designed, dormant
form of the EPO gene into muscle only once at the onset of this study
over four years ago. At numerous times since then, equivalent amounts
of EPO protein were produced in response to the same dose of ARIAD's
small-molecule drug. Conversely, different doses of AP22594
consistently increased circulating levels of EPO and red blood cells
(hemoglobin) directly in proportion to the amount of the drug
administered.
    Based on this comprehensive study, it is anticipated that AP22594
may be given intermittently to patients as an easy-to-swallow pill
(likely to be smaller than a "baby aspirin"), the dose of AP22594 may
be adjusted to produce whatever level of EPO is needed to provide
optimal treatment of anemia for each patient depending on the
patient's clinical status, and the patented gene complex may be
injected only once providing at least four years of chronic treatment.
Filing of the IND to initiate clinical studies is planned for 2003.
    EPO is a hormone normally made in the kidneys to stimulate
production of red blood cells that deliver oxygen throughout the body.
Inadequate levels of EPO lead to anemia. Current therapies for this
condition involve repeated injections of recombinant EPO protein or
second-generation versions (e.g., Aranesp and Omega-EPO). The
worldwide market for anemia therapies is projected to grow to over $10
billion annually.
    Limitations of bioengineered EPO include the high cost of the
recombinant product, the inability to cost-effectively deliver high
doses needed to treat certain types of anemia, restrictions on the
amounts of EPO that are reimbursed by payors or insurers, patient
inconvenience and discomfort resulting from repeated injections of the
recombinant protein, and the growing incidence of the life-threatening
complication known as red blood cell aplasia, believed to be tied to
manufacturing of certain brands of the recombinant EPO protein.
    ARIAD's product candidate for anemia offers a promising
alternative to recombinant protein therapy and may overcome these
limitations. Frequent injections of protein would be replaced by a
single intramuscular injection followed by intermittent doses of a
pill that precisely controls the amount of EPO being produced. Because
the treatment is primarily a pill made up of a synthetic chemical
(rather than a recombinant protein), cost should not be a barrier to
achieving the optimal level of EPO required by any given patient.
    The paper by Rivera et al from ARIAD and the University of
Pennsylvania will be presented at the American Society of Nephrology
Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on November 3, 2002. The abstract of
the presentation, "Long-term regulated delivery of erythropoeitin in
primates after intramuscular injection of AAV," is available online at
the website for the meeting (http://www.asn-online.org).
    ARIAD is engaged in the discovery and development of breakthrough
medicines that regulate cell signaling with small molecules. The
Company is developing a comprehensive approach to the treatment of
cancer and blood diseases and has seven product candidates in
development. ARIAD also has an exclusive license to pioneering
technology and patents related to the discovery, development and use
of drugs that regulate NF-(kappa)B cell-signaling activity, which has
been implicated in many major diseases.
    Additional information about ARIAD can be found on the web at
http://www.ariad.com.

    Some of the matters discussed herein are "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are identified by the use of words
such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend,"
"plan," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning in
connection with any discussion of future operating or financial
performance. Such statements are based on management's current
expectations and are subject to certain factors, risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results, outcome of events, timing
and performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not
limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the Company's ability to
conduct preclinical and clinical studies of its product candidates and
the results of such studies, regulatory oversight, intellectual
property claims, the timing, scope, cost and outcome of legal
proceedings, future capital needs, key employees, dependence on the
Company's collaborators and manufacturers, markets, economic
conditions, products, services, prices, reimbursement rates,
competition and other risks detailed in the Company's public filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including ARIAD's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001. The
information contained in this document is believed to be current as of
the date of original issue. The Company does not intend to update any
of the forward-looking statements after the date of this document to
conform these statements to actual results or to changes in the
Company's expectations, except as required by law.

    CONTACT: ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
             Tom Pearson, 610/407-9260
             or
             Kathy Lawton, 617/621-2345