Buying ARIA

I started a small initial postion at $1.82. Will look to buy more around or under $2.00

EDIT: Doubled my position at $2.05 on 8/17/09

This stock got hammered AH when they reported earnings. It ran from $1.5-$3.5 in the days leading up to earnings, and dropped as low as $1.6 today AH. I picked up an initial position at $1.90 and kept cash on reserve to buy more if it drops to $1.65 or below. I anticipate this will go back up as we approach the upcoming Phase III clinical trial results for their drug Ridaforolimus.

This company has heavy institutional ownership:http://finance.aol.com/company/ariad-pharmaceuticals-inc/aria/nas/institutional-ownershiphttp://moneycentral.msn.com/ownership?Symbol=ARIANo insiders currently have planned sales:http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/insider/planned.asp?view=Planned&Symbol=ARIANews about todays quarterly report (July 30th):http://finance.yahoo.com/marketupdate/inplay4:36PM Ariad Pharm beats by $0.01, misses on revs (ARIA) 2.33 -0.02 : Reports Q2 (Jun) loss of $0.24 per share, $0.01 better than the First Call consensus of ($0.25); revenues rose 44.1% year/year to $2.1 mln vs the $3.3 mln

Consensus:http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/ariad-reports-second-quarter-2009-financial-results-and-development-progress,910954.shtmlhttp://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=12244&catid=679Stock
Ticker:http://www.google.com/finance?q=aria
Company website:http://www.ariad.com/

Pipeline description, from the website:
Our pipeline currently contains three promising compounds: ridaforolimus (formerly called deforolimus), AP24534 and AP26113. Each was discovered by our own people. Each targets a proven pathway to disrupting cancer growth. Each is being explored in multiple indications, chosen for the highest likelihood of success and potential for patient impact.From Me: Their most advanced drug in terms of clinical trials, ridaforolimus, is being tested globally for multiple applications. They are partnered with Merck to test the compound in breast, endometrial, prostate and non-small cell lung cancer.

About their partnership with Merck, from the website:
In July 2007, ARIAD and Merck & Co., Inc.—one of the leading global pharmaceutical companies dedicated to developing and commercializing new oncology drugs—announced a landmark global collaboration to jointly develop and commercialize ridaforolimus (formerly known as deforolimus) for use in cancer.Over the first three full years of the partnership (2008-2010), we will pursue at least four cancer indications in addition to sarcomas: endometrial, prostate, breast and non-small-cell lung cancers. We are studying ridaforolimus both as a single agent and in combination with various targeted agents driven by mechanisms of action and biology. During 2008, ARIAD and Merck initiated Phase 2 clinical studies evaluating ridaforolimus in patients with breast, endometrial and prostate cancer. In March 2009, ARIAD and Merck announced a fourth Phase 2 clinical trial of ridaforolimus in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. We are also studying Ridaforolimus in combination with Merck’s IGF-1R inhibitor in patients with solid tumors, in a pediatric population of patients with solid tumors and in Japanese cancer patients to potentially provide access to the Japanese market.Both ARIAD and Merck share overall responsibility for global development and commercialization of ridaforolimus. In the United States, ARIAD will distribute and sell ridaforolimus for all cancer indications and book all sales, and ARIAD and Merck will co-promote ridaforolimus. ARIAD and Merck will each receive 50 percent of the income from such sales. Outside the United States, Merck will distribute, sell and promote ridaforolimus and book all sales. Merck will pay ARIAD tiered double-digit royalties on such end-market sales of ridaforolimus.In the United States, ARIAD will have primary responsibility for development of ridaforolimus in the metastatic sarcoma indication. Merck and ARIAD will have joint responsibility in the United States for development of all other cancer indications being pursued. Outside the United States, Merck will have primary responsibility for development in all cancer indications being pursued.The collaboration provides ARIAD with up-front and milestone payments, sharing of development costs and other provisions that may be valued at approximately $1 billion based on successful development of ridaforolimus in multiple cancer indications and achievement of significant sales milestones, excluding potential commercial returns from profit-sharing in the U.S. or royalties paid by Merck for sales of ridaforolimus outside the United States.Other applications for Ridaforolimus from the website:Beyond our focus area of oncology, ridaforolimus has potential to provide important clinical benefits in other therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular disease. We are leveraging the market potential of ridaforolimus by licensing the compound to other companies for non-cancer development and commercialization. For example, we have collaborations with Medinol, Ltd. (“Medinol”) and ICON Medical Corp. (“ICON”) to develop stents and other medical devices that deliver ridaforolimus to prevent re-blockage at sites of vascular injury following stent-assisted angioplasty.

Clinical Trial News:
http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2009/07/27/daily24.html?ana=yfcpchttp://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINBNG31874920090728?rpc=44http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Ariad-posts-positive-early-apf-613795787.html?x=0&.v=1http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ARIAD-Announces-Preliminary-bw-1049551672.html?x=0&.v=1http://seekingalpha.com/article/1439...t?source=yahoo
Excerpt from http://biomedreports.com/articles/ne...ess_----.html:
SUCCEED Trial On Schedule:
Based on current enrollment rates, the global Phase 3 SUCCEED trial of its investigational mTOR inhibitor, oral ridaforolimus, remains on track for full patient enrollment by year-end 2009. The 650-patient SUCCEED trial in patients with metastatic soft tissue and bone sarcomas is now over two-thirds enrolled with more than 450 patients in the study. The Company expects to receive the report of the first interim analysis of efficacy from the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) in September 2009. In addition, the Company expects that two-thirds of the disease progression events in the trial will occur by approximately year-end 2009, and that it will receive the report of the second interim analysis from the DSMB by the end of the first quarter of 2010. Additional Progress in the Clinic:In addition to the SUCCEED trial, ARIAD and its ridaforolimus development partner, Merck & Co., Inc., are continuing clinical development of oral ridaforolimus in patients with advanced breast, endometrial, prostate and non-small cell lung cancers. Preliminary data from two ongoing clinical trials evaluating ridaforolimus in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin®) in patients with resistant, metastatic breast cancer and with bevacizumab (Avastin®) in heavily pretreated patients with refractory, metastatic solid tumors were announced by ARIAD earlier this week. Abstracts describing these data have been submitted for presentation at major medical meetings to be held later this year. As described above under “Financial Guidance Update,” the joint development committee of the partnership has not reached a decision as to the optimal registration strategy for ridaforolimus in patients with breast cancer, and Merck has advised the Company that it does not intend to recommend that the partners conduct a Phase 3 clinical trial of ridaforolimus in combination with trastuzumab in patients with metastatic breast cancer based on Merck’s evaluation of the expected future market environment. ARIAD also announced preliminary clinical data from the ongoing clinical trial of its investigational, Bcr-Abl inhibitor, AP24534, in patients with drug-resistant, CML and other hematological cancers. The preliminary trial results provide initial clinical evidence of hematologic, cytogenetic and molecular responses and anti-cancer activity of AP24534 in heavily pretreated patients with resistant and refractory CML and Ph+ ALL, including those with the T315I mutant variant of the target protein, Bcr-Abl. An abstract describing these data is being submitted for presentation at a major medical meeting also to be held later this year. “We made important progress in advancing our clinical programs for ridaforolimus and AP24534 in the second quarter of 2009 and now are beginning to see promising data emerge from these studies,” said Harvey J. Berger, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of ARIAD. “We expect the second half of 2009 to be highlighted by likely completion of enrollment in the SUCCEED trial and clinical data announcements at major medical meetings.”