ARIA Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

 

 

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): March 25, 2015

 

 

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware		001-36172		22-3106987
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(I.R.S. Employer 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))

 

 

 

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Item 8.01

Other Events.

On March 25, 2015, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed the shareholder class action lawsuit filed in late 2013 against the Company and certain of its officers, directors and underwriters in connection with the events leading up to the temporary suspension of the marketing and commercial distribution of Iclusig^® (ponatinib) on October 31, 2013, and subsequent re-launch in January 2014 based on revised U.S. prescribing information and a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy. A copy of the press release announcing this event has been filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)

Exhibits.

 

Exhibit		Description
99.1		Press Release dated March 25, 2015

The press release contains hypertext links to information on our websites. The information on our websites is not incorporated by reference into this Current Report on Form 8-K and does not constitute a part of this Form 8-K.

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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.

 

Date: March 25, 2015

Exhibit 99.1

 

News Release

 

 

ARIAD ANNOUNCES DISMISSAL OF SHAREHOLDER CLASS ACTION

LAWSUIT IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT

Cambridge, MA. — March 25, 2015 — ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) today announced that the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed the shareholder class action lawsuit filed in late 2013 against the Company and certain of its officers, directors and underwriters in connection with the events leading up to the temporary suspension of the marketing and commercial distribution of Iclusig^® (ponatinib) on October 31, 2013, and subsequent re-launch in January 2014 based on revised U.S. prescribing information and a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy.

The suit alleged that certain of the Company defendants made a series of false and misleading statements regarding the safety, efficacy and commercial prospects of Iclusig. The Court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, concluding that the plaintiffs failed to establish that any such statements violated the Company’s disclosure obligations as asserted in the complaint.

“We are pleased that for the second time in as many weeks, the Court has granted our motion to dismiss what we believed from the outset was another meritless lawsuit,” said Harvey J. Berger, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of ARIAD. “Our corporate values of integrity and mutual respect are always at the forefront as we continue to focus on executing our plan for sustained revenue growth and operational excellence, leading to anticipated profitability in 2018.”

About ARIAD

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Lausanne, Switzerland, is an integrated global oncology company focused on transforming the lives of cancer patients with breakthrough medicines. ARIAD is working on new medicines to advance the treatment of various forms of chronic and acute leukemia, lung cancer and other difficult-to-treat cancers. ARIAD utilizes computational and structural approaches to design small-molecule drugs that overcome resistance to existing cancer medicines. For additional information, visit http://www.ariad.com or follow ARIAD on Twitter (@ARIADPharm).

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This press release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements contained herein which do not describe historical facts, including but not limited to, statements regarding: our plans for sustained growth and anticipated profitability in 2018; and our efforts related to new oncology treatments, are forward-looking statements which are based on management’s good faith expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements. These factors, risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the motion to dismiss the shareholder class action lawsuit is appealable and could be overturned; our ability to secure a partnership for brigatinib (AP26113); difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory and pricing and reimbursement approvals to market our products and product candidates; our ability to successfully commercialize and generate profits from sales of Iclusig or any future products; competition from alternative therapies; the conduct and results of preclinical and clinical studies of our product candidates; the adequacy of our capital resources and the availability of additional funding; patent protection and third-party intellectual property claims; risks related to key employees, markets, economic conditions, health care reform, prices and reimbursement rates; and other risk factors detailed in the Company’s public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The information contained in this press release is believed to be current as of the date of original issue. After the date of this document, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in the Company’s expectations, except as required by law.

Iclusig^® is a registered trademark of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

 

CONTACTS:		For Investors		For Media
		Kendra Adams		Liza Heapes
		Kendra.adams@ariad.com		Liza.heapes@ariad.com
		(617) 503-7028		(617) 621-2315