UNITED STATES
                       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): October 11, 2006

                           ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


          Delaware                      0-21696                 22-3106987
(State or other jurisdiction          (Commission             (I.R.S. Employer
     of incorporation)                File Number)           Identification No.)


              26 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts   02139
              (Address of principal executive offices)      (Zip Code)


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


                                 Not Applicable
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

|_|  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

|_|  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
     240.14a-12)

|_|  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

|_|  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))




ITEM 8.01  Other Events.

     In a press release dated October 11, 2006, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
     announced a non-exclusive, royalty-bearing license agreement to its
     ARGENT(TM) cell-signaling regulation technology with Bellicum
     Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop and commercialize new cancer therapies.
     ARIAD will have an equity stake in Bellicum and will receive additional
     payments based on certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones
     achieved by the company. Products in this partnership will use ARIAD's
     small-molecule dimerizer drug, AP1903, which already has successfully
     completed a Phase 1 clinical trial.

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


ITEM 9.01  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

     (c) The following exhibits are filed with this report

         Exhibit
         Number            Description
         ------            -----------
         99.1              Press release dated October 11, 2006.


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                                   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 hereunto duly authorized.

                             ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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

Date: October 11, 2006


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                                  EXHIBIT INDEX
                                  -------------

Exhibit
Number            Description
- ------            -----------
 99.1             Press release dated October 11, 2006.


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