1
                                                                    Exhibit 10.3

                         EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
                           FOR JOHN D. IULIUCCI, PH.D.

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the "Agreement") made as of May 1, 1992 between ARIAD
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and John D.
Iuliucci, Ph.D. (the "Employee").

1.     EMPLOYMENT, DUTIES AND ACCEPTANCE.

       1.1    The Company hereby employs the Employee, for the Term (as
              hereinafter defined), to render full-time services to the Company,
              and to perform such duties as he shall reasonably be directed by
              the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to perform. The
              Employee's title shall be designated by the Chief Executive
              Officer and initially shall be Vice President, Preclinical
              Development.

       1.2    The Employee hereby accepts such employment and agrees to render
              the services described above.

       1.3    The principal place of employment of the Employee hereunder shall
              be in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area, or other locations
              reasonably acceptable to the Employee. The Employee acknowledges
              that for limited periods of time he may be required to provide
              services to the Company outside of the Boston, Massachusetts area.

       1.4    Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, although the
              Employee shall provide services as a full time employee, it is
              understood that the Employee may

              (a)   have an academic appointment and (b) participate in
                    professional activities (collectively, "Permitted
                    Activities"); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that such Permitted
                    Activities do not interfere with the Employee's duties to
                    the Company.

2.     TERM OF EMPLOYMENT.

       The term of the Employee's employment under this Agreement (the "Term")
       shall commence June 15, 1992 (the "Effective Date") and shall end on
       December 31, 1995 unless sooner terminated pursuant to Section 4 or 5 of
       this Agreement; PROVIDED that this Agreement shall automatically be
       renewed for successive one-year terms (the Term and, if the period of
       employment is so renewed, such additional period (s) of employment are
       collectively referred to herein as the "Term") unless terminated by
       written notice given by either party to the other at least 90 days prior
       to the end of the applicable Term.

3.     COMPENSATION.
   2
       3.1    As full compensation for all services to be rendered pursuant to
              this Agreement, the Company agrees to pay the Employee, during the
              Term, a salary at the fixed rate of $135,000 per annum during the
              first year of the Term and increased each year thereafter, by
              amounts, if any, to be determined by the Board of Directors of the
              Company (the "Board"), in its sole discretion, payable in equal
              semimonthly installments, less such deductions or amounts to be
              withheld as shall be required by applicable law and regulations.

       3.2    Each year the Company shall pay the Employee a bonus of up to 30%
              of base salary, which bonus shall be determined annually by the
              Board. The bonus, if any, may be paid in the form of stock
              options, stock awards or cash, as determined by the Board.

       3.3    The Company shall pay or reimburse the Employee for all reasonable
              expenses actually incurred or paid by him during the Term in the
              performance of his services under this Agreement, upon
              presentation of expense statements or vouchers or such other
              supporting information as it may require.

       3.4    The Employee shall be eligible under any incentive plan, stock
              award plan, bonus, participation or extra compensation plan,
              pension, group health, disability and life insurance or other
              so-called "fringe" benefits which the Company provides for its
              executives. All options and stock awards granted to the Employee
              shall be subject to a vesting schedule which shall be determined
              by the Incentive Committee of the Board. The options and awards,
              if any, to be granted to the Employee shall also be subject to the
              terms of a stock option plan and certificate and stock award plan
              and certificate.

       3.5    The Company will grant the Employee an option to purchase 135,000
              shares of the Company's Common Stock at a purchase price of $2.00
              per share (the "Options"). The Employee agrees that all such
              Options shall be subject to a four-year vesting schedule, vesting
              in equal increments of 25% on each anniversary of the Effective
              Date. Any unvested Options shall be forfeited to the Company in
              the event (a) this Agreement is terminated by the Company for
              cause pursuant to Section 4 herein, or (b) either party elects not
              to renew this Agreement pursuant to Section 2 herein.

       3.6    The Options and any common stock purchased upon the exercise of
              any vested Options ("Option Stock") shall not, without the
              Company's prior written consent, be transferable until the earlier
              of (a) March 31, 1996 and (b) one year after the Company's initial
              public offering; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event of the death
              of the

   3

              Employee, any vested Options and any Option Stock shall be
              transferable to the legal representatives, legatees and
              distributees of the Employee, if such persons agree to be bound by
              the same restrictions applicable to such Options and Option Stock.
              In the event that the Company commences an initial public
              offering, the Employee will execute "lock-up" agreements with
              respect to the Option Stock and all other equity interests in the
              Company held by the Employee providing that the Employee will not
              sell Option Stock or any other equity interests for a period of
              one year after the closing of the initial public offering. If the
              Company elects, the certificates representing the Option Stock
              will be transferred to the Company to be held by the Company
              pursuant to an escrow agreement consistent with the terms set
              forth in this Section 3.6. This Section 3.6 shall survive the
              termination of this Agreement.

4.     TERMINATION BY THE COMPANY.

       The Company may terminate this Agreement, if any one or more of the
       following shall occur:

       (a)    The Employee shall die during the Term; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, the
              Employee's legal representatives shall be entitled to receive the
              compensation provided for hereunder to the last day of the month
              in which his death occurs.

       (b)    The Employee shall become physically or mentally disabled, whether
              totally or partially, so that he is unable substantially to
              perform his services hereunder for (i) a period of 180 consecutive
              days, or (ii) for shorter periods aggregating 180 days during any
              twelve month period.

       (c)    The Employee acts, or fails to act, in a manner that provides
              Cause for termination. For purposes of this Agreement, the term
              "Cause" means (i) the failure by the Employee to perform any of
              his material duties hereunder, (ii) the conviction of the Employee
              of any felony involving moral turpitude, (iii) any acts of fraud
              or embezzlement involving the Company or any of its Affiliates,
              (iv) material violation of any federal, state or local law, or any
              administrative regulation related to the business of the Company,
              (v) a conflict of interest, (vi) conduct that could reasonably be
              expected to result in publicity reflecting unfavorably on the
              Company in a material way, (vii) failure to comply with the
              written policies of the Company, or (viii) a breach of the terms
              of this Agreement by the Employee.

              The Company shall provide the Employee written notice of
              termination pursuant to this Section 4.

5.     TERMINATION BY THE EMPLOYEE.

   4

5.1    The Employee may terminate this Agreement, if any one or more of the
       following shall occur:

       (a)    a material breach of the terms of this Agreement by the Company
              and such breach continues for 30 days after the Employee gives the
              company written notice of such breach;

       (b)    the Company shall make a general assignment for benefit of
              creditors; or any proceeding shall be instituted by the Company
              seeking to adjudicate it as bankrupt or insolvent, or seeking
              liquidation, winding up, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment,
              protection, relief, or composition of it or its debts under law
              relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of
              debtors, or seeking entry of an order for relief or the
              appointment of a receiver, trustee, or other similar official for
              it or for any substantial part of its property or the Company
              shall take any corporate action to authorize any of the actions
              set forth above in this subsection 5(b);

       (c)    an involuntary petition shall be filed or an action or proceeding
              otherwise commenced against the Company seeking reorganization,
              arrangement or readjustment of the Company's debts or for any
              other relief under the Federal Bankruptcy Code, as amended, or
              under any other bankruptcy or insolvency act or law, state or
              federal, now or hereafter existing and remain undismissed or
              unstayed for a period of 30 days; or

       (d)    a receiver, assignee, liquidator, trustee or similar officer for
              the Company or for all or any part of its property shall be
              appointed involuntarily.

6.     SEVERANCE.

       If (i) the Company terminates this Agreement without Cause or (ii) the
       Employee terminates this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.1(a), then: (1)
       except in the case of death or disability, the Company shall continue to
       pay Employee his current salary for the remaining period of the
       applicable Term; (2) all Options granted pursuant to Section 3.5 herein
       that would have vested during the Term shall vest immediately prior to
       such termination; and (3) the Company shall continue to provide all
       benefits subject to COBRA at its expense for up to one year.

7.     OTHER BENEFITS.

       In addition to all other benefits contained herein, the Employee shall be
       entitled to:

       (a)    relocation expenses for the Employee and his family, consisting of
              (i) real estate taxes, mortgage payments,

   5

              utilities and routine maintenance on Employee's principal
              residence for up to six months from the time the Employee begins
              additional mortgage payments on a new principal residence for the
              Employee and his family in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area;
              PROVIDED the Employee shall use his best efforts to sell his
              current residence within such six month time period; PROVIDED,
              FURTHER, the Company shall consider, in its sole discretion,
              reimbursement for additional carrying costs if the Employee has
              not sold his residence within such six month period, (ii) all
              reasonable costs for rent, storage and primary services (e.g.,
              gas, heat, electricity, phone hook-up) associated with temporary
              housing at an approved location until the Employee finds a
              suitable residence, (iii) all reasonable direct out-of-pocket
              costs of transporting the Employee, the Employee's family and
              household items from the Employee's current residence to a new
              residence located in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area, and
              (iv) except as described in the next succeeding sentence and
              subject to prior approval, the reasonable closing costs of the
              sale of the Employee's current residence and purchase of a new
              residence in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area within one
              year of the Employee's date of employment. The following closing
              (settlement) costs will not be paid by the Company: (1) real
              estate and other taxes, (2) insurance premiums other than title
              insurance, and (3) commitment fees and prepaid interest (i.e.,
              "points") in excess of 2%. If any payments made to or in respect
              of the Employee pursuant to this Section 7(a) become subject to
              any tax (taking into account relevant deductions), the Company
              shall make a special payment to him sufficient, on an after-tax
              basis (taking into account federal, state and local taxes), to put
              him in the same position as would have been the case had no such
              taxes been applicable to any payments or benefits provided in this
              subsection. This special payment will be made to the Employee in
              April 1993.

       (b)    Vacation time of four weeks per year taken in accordance with the
              vacation policy of the Company during each year of the Term.

       (c)    After six years of employment, one three-month period of fully
              paid leave of absence in accordance with Company policies in place
              at that time; it being understood that such policies may restrict
              the Employee from taking such leave of absence until a time that
              is acceptable to the Company and may include other such
              limitations.

       (d)    Group health, disability and life insurance.

       (e)    The Company shall, in its sole discretion, provide the Employee
              with either (i) an automobile for the Employee's exclusive use, at
              a cost to the Company not exceeding $750

   6

              per month or (ii) an automobile allowance of $750 per month toward
              the cost of maintaining the Employee's car.

8.     CONFIDENTIALITY.

       8.1    The Employee acknowledges that, during the course of performing
              his services hereunder, the Company shall be disclosing
              information to the Employee related to the Company's Field of
              Interest, Inventions, projects and business plans, as well as
              other information (collectively, "Confidential Information"). The
              Employee acknowledges that the Company's business is extremely
              competitive, dependent in part upon the maintenance of secrecy,
              and that any disclosure of the Confidential Information would
              result in serious harm to the Company.

       8.2    The Employee agrees that the Confidential Information only shall
              be used by the Employee in connection with his activities
              hereunder as an employee of the Company, and shall not be used in
              any way that is detrimental to the Company.

       8.3    The Employee agrees not to disclose, directly or indirectly, the
              Confidential Information to any third person or entity, other than
              representatives or agents of the Company. The Employee shall treat
              all such information as confidential and proprietary property of
              the Company.

       8.4    The term "Confidential Information" does not include information
              that (a) is or becomes generally available to the public other
              than by disclosure in violation of this Agreement, (b) was within
              the relevant party's possession prior to being furnished to such
              party, (c) becomes available to the relevant party on a
              nonconfidential basis or (d) was independently developed by the
              relevant party without reference to the information provided by
              the Company.

       8.5    The Employee may disclose any Confidential Information that is
              required to be disclosed by law, government regulation or court
              order. If disclosure is required, the Employee shall give the
              Company advance notice so that the Company may seek a protective
              order or take other action reasonable in light of the
              circumstances.

       8.6    Upon termination of this Agreement, the Employee shall promptly
              return to the Company all materials containing Confidential
              Information, as well as data, records, reports and other property,
              furnished by the Company to the Employee or produced by the
              Employee in connection with services rendered hereunder.
              Notwithstanding such return or any of the provisions of this
              Agreement, the Employee shall continue to be bound by the terms of
              the confidentiality

   7

              provisions contained in this Section 8 for a period of three years
              after the termination of this Agreement.

9.     INVENTIONS DISCOVERED BY THE EMPLOYEE WHILE PERFORMING SERVICES
       HEREUNDER. During the Term, the Employee shall promptly disclose to the
       Company any invention, improvement, discovery, process, formula, or
       method or other intellectual property, whether or not patentable, whether
       or not copyrightable (collectively, "Inventions") made, conceived or
       first reduced to practice by the Employee, either alone or jointly with
       others, while performing service hereunder. The Employee hereby assigns
       to the Company all of his right, title and interest in and to any such
       Inventions. During and after the Term, the Employee shall execute any
       documents necessary to perfect the assignment of such Inventions to the
       Company and to enable the Company to apply for, obtain, and enforce
       patents and copyrights in any and all countries on such Inventions. The
       Employee hereby irrevocably designates the General Counsel to the Company
       as his agent and attorney-in-fact to execute and file any such document
       and to do all lawful acts necessary to apply for and obtain patents and
       copyrights and to enforce the Company's rights under this paragraph. This
       Section 9 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

10.    NON-COMPETITION AND NON-SOLICITATION.

       During the Term and for a period of one year following the date of
       termination or nonrenewal for any reason (other than termination pursuant
       to Section 5.1(a)): (a) the Employee shall not in the United States or in
       any country in which the Employer shall then be doing business, directly
       or indirectly, enter the employ of, or render any services to, any
       person, firm or corporation engaged in any business directly competitive
       with the business of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or
       affiliates of which the Employee may become an employee or officer during
       the Term; he shall not engage in such business on his own account; and he
       shall not become interested in any such business, directly or indirectly,
       as an individual, partner, shareholder, director, officer, principal,
       agent, employee, trustee, consultant, or any other relationship or
       capacity; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Section 10
       shall be deemed to prohibit the Employee from acquiring, solely as an
       investment, shares of capital stock of any public corporation; (b)neither
       the Employee nor any Affiliate of the Employee shall solicit or utilize,
       or assist any person in any way to solicit or utilize, the services,
       directly or indirectly, of any of the Company's directors, consultants,
       members of the Board of Scientific and Medical Advisors, officers or
       employees (collectively, "Associates of the Company"). This
       nonsolicitation and nonutilization provision shall not apply to
       Associates of the Company who have previously terminated their
       relationship with the Company.

   8

10.1   If the Employee commits a breach, or threatens to commit a breach, of any
       of the provisions of this Section 10, the Company shall have the
       following rights and remedies:

       10.1.1 The right and remedy to have the provisions of this Agreement
              specifically enforced by any court having equity jurisdiction, it
              being acknowledged and agreed that any such breach or threatened
              breach shall cause irreparable injury to the Company and that
              money damages shall not provide an adequate remedy to the Company;
              and

       10.1.2 The right and remedy to require the Employee to account for and
              pay over to the Company all compensation, profits, monies,
              accruals, increments or other benefits (collectively "Benefits")
              derived or received by the Employee as the result of any
              transactions constituting a breach of any of the provisions of the
              preceding paragraph, and the Employee hereby agrees to account for
              and pay over such Benefits to the Company. Each of the rights and
              remedies enumerated above shall be independent of the other, and
              shall be severally enforceable, and all of such rights and
              remedies shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other
              rights and remedies available to the Company under law or in
              equity.

10.2   If any of the covenants contained in Section 8, 9 or 10, or any part
       thereof, is hereafter construed to be invalid or unenforceable, the same
       shall not affect the remainder of the covenant or covenants, which shall
       be given full effect without regard to the invalid portions.

10.3   If any of the covenants contained in Section 8, 9 or 10, or any part
       thereof, is held to be unenforceable because of the duration of such
       provision or the area covered thereby, the parties agree that the court
       making such determination shall have the power to reduce the duration
       and/or area of such provision and, in its reduced form, such provision
       shall then be enforceable.

10.4   The parties hereto intend to and hereby confer jurisdiction to enforce
       the covenants contained in Sections 8, 9 and 10 upon the courts of any
       state within the geographical scope of such covenants. In the event that
       the courts of any one or more of such states shall hold any such covenant
       wholly unenforceable by reason of the breadth of such scope or otherwise,
       it is the intention of the parties hereto that such determination not bar
       or in any way affect the Company's right to the relief provided above in
       the courts of any other states within the geographical scope of such
       covenants, as to breaches of such covenants

   9

       in such other respective jurisdictions, the above covenants as they
       relate to each state being, for this purpose, severable into diverse and
       independent covenants.

11.    INDEMNIFICATION.

       The Company shall indemnify the Employee, to the maximum extent permitted
       by applicable law, against all costs, charges and expenses incurred or
       sustained by him in connection with any action, suit or proceeding to
       which he may be made a party by reason of his being an officer, director
       or employee of the Company or of any subsidiary or affiliate of the
       Company. The Company shall provide, subject to its availability upon
       reasonable terms (which determination shall be made by the Board) at its
       expense, Directors and Officers insurance for the Employee in reasonable
       amounts. Determination with respect to (a) the availability of insurance
       upon reasonable terms and (b) the amount of such insurance coverage shall
       be made by the Board in its sole discretion.

12.    NOTICES.

       All notices, requests, consents and other communications required or
       permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed
       to have been duly given if sent by prepaid telegram (confirmed delivery
       by the telegram service), private overnight mail service (delivery
       confirmed by such service), registered or certified mail (return receipt
       requested), or delivered personally, as follows (or to such other address
       as either party shall designate by notice in writing to the other in
       accordance herewith):

       If to the Company:

       ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
       26 Landsdowne Street
       Cambridge, MA 02139
       Attention: Chief Executive Officer
       Telephone: (617) 494-0400
       Fax: (617) 494-8144

       If to the Employee:

       Dr. John D. Iuliucci 3 Pendant Ct. Andover, MA 01810

13.    GENERAL.

       13.1   This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
              accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
              applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in
              Massachusetts.

   10

       13.2   The Section headings contained herein are for reference purposes
              only and shall not in any way affect the meaning or interpretation
              of this Agreement.

       13.3   This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement and understanding
              of the parties relating to the subject matter hereof, and
              supersedes all prior agreements, arrangements and understandings,
              written or oral, relating to the subject matter hereof. No
              representation, promise or inducement has been made by either
              party that is not embodied in this Agreement, and neither party
              shall be bound by or liable for any alleged representation,
              promise or inducement not so set forth.

       13.4   This Agreement and the Employee's rights and obligations hereunder
              may not be assigned by the Employee or the Company; PROVIDED,
              HOWEVER, the Company may assign this Agreement to an Affiliate or
              a successor-in-interest.

       13.5   This Agreement may be amended, modified, superseded, cancelled,
              renewed or extended, and the terms or covenants hereof may be
              waived, only by a written instrument executed by the parties
              hereto, or in the case of a waiver, by the party waiving
              compliance. The failure of a party at any time or times to require
              performance of any provision hereof shall in no manner affect the
              right at a later time to enforce the same. No waiver by a party of
              the breach of any term or covenant contained in this Agreement,
              whether by conduct or otherwise, in any one or more instances,
              shall be deemed to be, or construed as, a further or continuing
              waiver of any such breach, or a waiver of the breach of any other
              term or covenant contained in this Agreement.

14.    DEFINITIONS. As used herein the following terms have the following
       meaning:

       (a)    "Affiliate" means and includes any corporation or other business
              entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the
              corporation in question.

       (b)    "Company's Field of Interest" means the discovery and development
              of pharmaceutical agents that target or intervene with
              intracellular regulatory and control mechanisms; associated
              diagnostic products; structure-based drug design; any artificial
              platelet product; and other related areas. The Company's Field of
              Interest may be changed at the Company's sole discretion from time
              to time.

       (c)    "person" means any natural person, corporation, partnership, firm,
              joint venture, association, joint stock company, trust,
              unincorporated organization, governmental body or other entity.

   11

       (d)    "Subsidiary" means any corporation or other business entity
              directly or indirectly controlled by the corporation in question.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date
first above written.

ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

By

Harvey J. Berger, M.D.
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer

EMPLOYEE


John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D.

   12

                    FOURTH AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the "Fourth Amendment") made as of June
8, 2000 between ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D. (the "Employee").

The Company and the Employee have entered into an Employment Agreement dated as
of May 1, 1992, as previously amended (the "Agreement"), and the parties hereto
desire to further amend certain provisions of the Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth herein and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
the parties hereto agree to further amend the Agreement as follows:

I.     TERM OF EMPLOYMENT. The first sentence of Section 2 is hereby amended to
       read as follows:

       "The term of the Employee's employment under the Agreement is hereby
       extended to December 31, 2001 (the "Term"), unless sooner terminated
       pursuant to Section 4 or 5 of this Agreement; PROVIDED, however, that
       this Agreement shall automatically be renewed for successive one-year
       terms (the Term and, if the period of employment is so renewed, such
       additional period(s) of employment are collectively referred to herein as
       the "Term") unless terminated by written notice given by either party to
       the other at least 90 days prior to the end of the applicable Term."

II.    COMPENSATION. Section 3.1 is hereby replaced and amended in its entirety
       as follows:

       "3.1   As full compensation for all services to be rendered pursuant to
              this Agreement, the Company agrees to pay the Employee, during the
              Term, a salary at the fixed rate of $207,500 per annum during the
              first year of the Term and increased each year thereafter, by
              amounts, if any, to be determined by the Board of Directors of the
              Company (the "Board") in its sole discretion, payable in equal
              semi-monthly installments, less such deductions or amounts to be
              withheld as shall be required by applicable law and regulations."

III.   DEFINITIONS. The definition of the Company's "Field of Interest" in
       Section 14 (b) of the Agreement is hereby amended to read as follows:

        "The `Company's Field of Interest' is the discovery, development and
        commercialization of pharmaceutical products based on (a) intervention
        in signal transduction pathways and (b) gene and cell therapy. The
        Company's Field of Interest

   13

       may be changed at any time at the sole discretion of the Company."

IV.    This Amendment shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
       accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts applicable
       to agreements made and to be performed entirely in Massachusetts.

V.     Except as modified by this Fourth Amendment, the Agreement remains in
       full force and effect and unchanged.


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Second Amendment as of the
date first written above.


                                         ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.


                                         By:
                                            ---------------------------------
                                            Harvey J. Berger, M.D.
                                            Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


                                         EMPLOYEE


                                         ------------------------------------
                                         John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D.


   14

                      THIRD AMENDMENT EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This THIRD AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the Third "Amendment") made as of
January 1, 1999, between ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the "Company"), and John Iuliucci, Ph.D. (the "Employee").

The Company and the Employee have entered into an Employment Agreement dated as
of May 1, 1992 (the "Agreement"), as previously amended, and the parties hereto
desire to further amend certain provisions of the Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth herein and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
the parties hereto agree to further amend the Agreement as follows:

I.     EMPLOYMENT, DUTIES AND ACCEPTANCE. The second sentence of Section 1.1 is
       hereby amended to read as follows:

       "The Employee's title shall be designated by the Chief Executive Officer
       and initially shall be Senior Vice President, Drug Development.

II.    COMPENSATION. Section 3.1 is hereby replaced and amended in its entirety
       as follows:

       "3.1   As full compensation for all services to be rendered pursuant to
              this Agreement, the Company agrees to pay the Employee, during the
              Term, a salary at the fixed rate of $200,000 per annum during the
              first year of the Term and increased each year thereafter, by
              amounts, if any, to be determined by the Board of Directors of the
              Company (the "Board") in its sole discretion, payable in equal
              semi-monthly installments, less such deductions or amounts to be
              withheld as shall be required by applicable law and regulations."

III.   TERMINATION BY THE EMPLOYEE. Section 5 is hereby replaced and amended in
       its entirety as follows:

       "5.1   The Employee may terminate this Agreement, if any one or more of
              the following shall occur:

              (a)    a material breach of the terms of this Agreement by the
                     Company and such breach continues for 30 days after the
                     Employee gives the Company written notice of such breach;

              (b)    the Company shall make a general assignment for benefit of
                     creditors; or any proceeding shall be instituted by the
                     Company seeking to adjudicate it as bankrupt or insolvent,
                     or seeking liquidation, winding up, reorganization,
                     arrangement, adjustment, protection,

   15

                     relief, or composition of it or its debts under law
                     relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or
                     relief of debtors, or seeking entry of an order for relief
                     of the appointment of a receiver, trustee, or other similar
                     official for it or for any substantial part of its property
                     or the Company shall take any corporate action to authorize
                     any of the actions set forth above in this subsection
                     5.1(b);

              (c)    an involuntary petition shall be filed or an action or
                     proceeding otherwise commenced against the Company seeking
                     reorganization, arrangement or readjustment of the
                     Company's debts or for any other relief under the Federal
                     Bankruptcy Code, as amended, or under any other bankruptcy
                     or insolvency act or law, state or federal, now or
                     hereafter existing and remain undismissed or unstayed for a
                     period of 30 days;

              (d)    a receiver, assignee, liquidator, trustee or similar
                     officer for the Company or for all or any part of its
                     property shall be appointed involuntarily, or (e) a Change
                     in Control as defined in Section 14."

IV.    SEVERANCE. Section 6 is hereby replaced and amended in its entirety as
       follows:

       "6. If (i) the Company terminates this Agreement without Cause or (ii)
       the Employee terminates this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.1(a), then:
       (1) except in the case of death or disability, the Company shall continue
       to pay Employee his current salary for the remaining period of the
       applicable Term; (2) all options granted pursuant to this Agreement that
       would have vested during the Term shall vest immediately prior to such
       termination; (3) the Company shall continue to provide all benefits
       subject to COBRA at its expense for up to one year.

       In the event of a consummation of a Change in Control of the Company, and
       if the Employee gives notice of termination within 90 days after such
       occurrence, then (i) all stock, stock options, stock awards and similar
       equity rights granted to the Employee shall immediately vest and remain
       fully exercisable through their original term with all rights; and (ii)
       the Company shall continue to pay Employee his current salary for the
       shorter of (a) six months, or (b) the remaining period of the applicable
       Term."

V.     DEFINITIONS. The definition of the Company's "Field of Interest" in
       Section 14 (b) of the Agreement is hereby amended to read as follows:

       "The `Company's Field of Interest' is the discovery, development and
       commercialization of pharmaceutical products based on (a) intervention in
       signal transduction pathways; (b) gene and cell therapy; (c) functional
       genomics; and (d) natural products,

   16

       including without limitation, studies of microbial diversity. The
       Company's Field of Interest may be changed at the sole discretion of the
       Company from time to time."

       The definition of "Change in Control" shall be added as Section 14 (e) of
       the Agreement as follows:

       " 'Change in Control' means the occurrence of any of the following events
       (without the consent of the Employee):

       (i)    Any corporation, person or other entity makes a tender or exchange
              offer for shares of the Company's Common Stock pursuant to which
              such corporation, person or other entity acquires more than 50% of
              the issued and outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock;

       (ii)   The stockholders of the Company approve a definitive agreement to
              merge or consolidate the Company with or into another corporation
              or to sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the
              Company's assets; or

       (iii)  Any person within the meaning of Section 3 (a) (9) or Section 13
              (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 acquires more than 50%
              of the combined voting power of Company's issued and outstanding
              voting securities entitled to vote in the election of the Board."

VI.    This Amendment shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
       accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts applicable
       to agreements made and to be performed entirely in Massachusetts.

VII.   Except as modified by this Amendment, the Agreement remains in full force
       and effect and unchanged.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amendment as of the date
first written above.

                                    ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

                                    By:
                                       ---------------------------------------
                                       Harvey J. Berger, M.D.
                                       Chairman and Chief Executive Officer



                                    EMPLOYEE


                                    ----------------------------------------
                                    John Iuliucci, Ph.D.


   17

                        AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


This AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the "Second Amendment") made as of
January 1, 1997, between ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the "Company"), and John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D. (the "Employee").

The Company and the Employee have entered into an Employment Agreement dated as
of May 1, 1992 and amended as of March 2, 1994 (the "Agreement"), and the
parties hereto desire to further amend certain provisions of the Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth herein and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
the parties hereto agree to further amend the Agreement as follows:

I.     EMPLOYMENT, DUTIES AND ACCEPTANCE. The second sentence of Section 1.1 is
       hereby amended to read as follows:

       "The Employee's title shall be designated by the Chief Executive Officer
       and initially shall be Vice President, Drug Development."

II.    TERM OF EMPLOYMENT. The first sentence of Section 2 is hereby amended to
       read as follows:

       "The term of the Employee's employment under the Agreement is hereby
       extended to December 31, 1999 (the "Term"), unless sooner terminated
       pursuant to Section 4 or 5 of this Agreement; PROVIDED, however, that
       this Agreement shall automatically be renewed for successive one-year
       terms (the Term and, if the period of employment is so renewed, such
       additional period(s) of employment are collectively referred to herein as
       the "Term") unless terminated by written notice given by either party to
       the other at least 90 days prior to the end of the applicable Term."

III.   COMPENSATION. Section 3.1 is hereby replaced and amended in its entirety
       as follows:

       "3.1   As full compensation for all services to be rendered pursuant to
              this Agreement, the Company agrees to pay the Employee, during the
              Term, a salary at the fixed rate of $165,000 per annum during the
              first year of the Term and increased each year thereafter, by
              amounts, if any, to be determined by the Board of Directors of the
              Company (the "Board") in its sole discretion, payable in equal
              semi-monthly installments, less such deductions or amounts to be
              withheld as shall be required by applicable law and regulations."

   18

IV.    DEFINITIONS. The definition of the Company's "Field of Interest" in
       Section 14 (b) of the Agreement is hereby amended to read as follows:

       "The Company's 'Field of Interest' is: the discovery, development and
       commercialization of pharmaceutical products based on (a) intervention in
       signal transduction pathways; (b) gene and cell therapy; and (c)
       functional genomics. The Company's Field of Interest may be changed at
       the sole discretion of the Company from time to time."

V.     This Amendment shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
       accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts applicable
       to agreements made and to be performed entirely in Massachusetts.

VI.    Except as modified by this Second Amendment, the Agreement remains in
       full force and effect and unchanged.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Second Amendment as of the
date first written above.

                                    ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

                                    By:
                                       ----------------------------------
                                       Harvey J. Berger, M.D.
                                       Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


                                    EMPLOYEE


                                    -------------------------------------
                                    John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D.


   19
                        AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


This AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the "Amendment") made as of March 2,
1994, between ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D. the "Employee").

The Company and the Employee have entered into an Employment Agreement dated as
of June 15, 1992 (the "Agreement"), and the parties hereto desire to amend
certain provisions of the Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth herein and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
the parties hereto agree as follows:

1.     SECTION 2. The Term of the Employee's employment under the Agreement is
       hereby extended to December 31, 1996.

2.     ARTICLE 3.

       2.1    Section 3.6 is hereby replaced and amended in its entirety as
              follows:

       "3.6   All shares of the Company's Common Stock or Option Stock (as
              defined below) owned by the Employee or with respect to which the
              Employee has the power of disposition, shall not, without the
              Company's prior written consent, be transferable until the earlier
              of (a) March 31, 1996 and (b) eighteen months after the Company's
              initial public offering; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event of
              the death of the Employee, any Common Stock or Option Stock shall,
              subject to the terms of such Option Stock, be transferable to the
              legal representatives, legatees and distributees of the Employee,
              if such persons agree to be bound by the same restrictions
              applicable to such security. "Option Stock" shall mean all Options
              or any other options or rights to acquire shares of the Company's
              Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or
              exercisable into shares of the Company's Common Stock. In the
              event that the Company commences an initial public offering, the
              Employee will execute "lock-up" agreements with respect to the
              Common Stock or Option Stock held by the Employee providing that
              the Employee will not sell the Common Stock or Option Stock for a
              period of eighteen months after the closing of the initial public
              offering

   20

              If the Company elects, the certificates representing the Common
              Stock or Option Stock will be transferred to the Company to be
              held by the Company pursuant to an escrow agreement consistent
              with the terms set forth in this Section 3.6. This Section 3.6
              shall survive termination of this Agreement."

       2.2    Section 3.7 is hereby added to the Agreement to read in its
              entirety as follows:

       "3.7   Any shares of common stock ("Subsidiary Common Stock") of any
              current or future subsidiary of the Company, including, without
              limitation, ARIAD Gene Therapeutics, Inc., or any Subsidiary
              Option Stock (as defined below) owned by the Employee or with
              respect to which the Employee has the power of disposition shall
              not, without the Company's prior written consent, be transferable
              until eighteen months after the applicable subsidiary's initial
              public offering; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event of the death
              of the Employee, all such Subsidiary Common Stock or Subsidiary
              Option Stock shall, subject to the terms of such Subsidiary Option
              Stock, be transferable to the legal representatives, legatees, and
              distributees of the Employee, if such persons agree to be bound by
              the same restrictions applicable to such security. "Subsidiary
              Option Stock" shall mean all options or rights to acquire shares
              of Subsidiary Common Stock or any securities convertible into or
              exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Subsidiary Common Stock.
              If the Company elects, the certificates representing the
              Subsidiary Common Stock or Subsidiary Option Stock will be
              transferred to the Company to be held by the Company pursuant to
              an escrow agreement consistent with the terms set forth in this
              Section 3.7. This Section 3.7 shall survive the termination of
              this Agreement."

3.     The definition of the "Company's Field of Interest" in Section 4 (b) of
       the Agreement is hereby amended to read as follows:

       "Company's Field of Interest means (1) the discovery, development and
       commercialization of pharmaceutical products, diagnostic products, or
       research reagents that target or intervene with intracellular regulatory
       or control mechanisms (e.g., signal transduction, gene transcription and
       protein trafficking); (2) gene therapy; (3) drug discovery based on
       molecular structure or diversity; (4) any platelet substitute product;
       and (5) other related areas. The Company's Field of Interest may be
       changed at the Company's sole discretion from time to time."

   21

4.     This Amendment shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
       accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts applicable
       to agreements made and to be performed entirely in Massachusetts.

5.     Except as modified by this Amendment, the Agreement remains in full force
       and effect and unchanged.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amendment as of the date
first written above.

                                    ARIAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

                                    By:
                                       -------------------------------------
                                       Harvey J. Berger, M.D.
                                       Chairman and Chief Executive Officer


                                    EMPLOYEE


                                    ---------------------------------------
                                    John D. Iuliucci, Ph.D.