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): November 19, 2003

                           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 19, 2003, the Registrant disseminated a Press Release
           announcing the first reported high-resolution structure of a
           small-molecule drug (its product candidate AP23464) bound to an
           important cancer-associated protein (kinase) target known as Src.

           The information contained in the Press Release dated November 19,
           2003, 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 19, 2003.



                                   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 19, 2003


                                       2





                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

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

99.1      The Registrant's Press Release dated November 19, 2003.            4


                                       3

EX-99

                                                                  Exhibit 99.1

ARIAD First to Report High-Resolution Picture of Key Cancer-Associated
Protein Bound to Potent Inhibitor Drug; Findings Featured in
International Cancer Conference Press Briefing

    CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 2003--ARIAD
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARIA) today announced, at a press
briefing sponsored by the organizers of the AACR-NCI-EORTC
international cancer conference, the first reported high-resolution
structure of a small-molecule drug bound to an important
cancer-associated protein (kinase) target known as Src. The small
molecule is one of ARIAD's lead oncology product candidates, AP23464 -
a highly potent inhibitor of Src, which plays a critical role in the
growth, proliferation and spread of many of the most common and
difficult-to-treat tumors.
    The first high-resolution picture of Src bound to a small-molecule
inhibitor is an important scientific breakthrough. Each of the atoms
in the protein and drug, and their interactions, are depicted in a
three-dimensional display that was highly valuable in the design of a
selective kinase inhibitor capable of potently inhibiting multiple
clinically relevant targets, including the Src and Abl proteins. While
the inhibition of Src by AP23464 positions it as a novel treatment
option for solid tumors, including metastasis, its equally potent
inhibition of the Abl protein highlights its potential use in treating
certain leukemias.
    "We anticipate that our dual Src/Abl inhibitor should have broad
therapeutic potential in patients with many types of cancer and expect
to initiate phase 1 clinical trials of AP23464 next year," said Harvey
J. Berger, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of ARIAD.
    Of the 800 abstracts that will be presented at the International
Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, jointly
sponsored by the American Association for Cancer, the National Cancer
Institute, and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of
Cancer (AACR-NCI-EORTC), three were featured in this morning's
conference press briefing, including the abstract highlighting the
development of ARIAD's product candidate to treat certain leukemias
and metastatic cancers.
    The abstract by David Dalgarno, et al, "Structure-based design and
X-ray crystallographic analysis of a potent and selective Src tyrosine
kinase inhibitor for the treatment of cancer," is available on the
website for the meeting (http://www.aacr.org/2003mtct1.asp).
    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 is primarily focused on a series of product candidates for
targeted oncology indications. 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, 2002. 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