Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc fka ARIA

[Au-530]

Ariad, Cephalon Make ASH Splash: BioBuzz
By Adam Feuerstein 12/08/09 - 10:45 AM EST

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (TheStreet) -- An early-stage leukemia drug from Ariad Pharmaceuticals(ARIA Quote) generated some positive buzz at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting.
Data from a Phase I study of AP24534 showed that the drug had activity in patients with resistant or refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CLL) and Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ CLL.) These are hard-to-treat patients because current leukemia drugs, including Novartis'(NVS Quote) Gleevec and Tasigna and Bristol-Myers Squibb's(BMY Quote) Sprycel, have limited or no positive effect.
Ariad wants to start a pivotal study in refractory CML patients next year, but the bigger news may come if the company can find a Big Pharma partner for the drug.
Ariad shares were up 4% to $2.57 in recent trading.
In other ASH-related news, the body of clinical data supporting use of Cephalon's(CEPH Quote) Treanda as a new standard of care in first-line non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) continues to grow.
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