Deleting a string between two strings

[SAS_New_User1]

I have a string 

example 1: abcdefgs:456:fdkweu/:START:41A:45583993:START:60A:6483829992:STOP:59:hagdsu2381ygu:73:

example 2:

hsdgsdgcj:64:54:adcg6edd:START:71A:274765765:START:84A:26357457454:STOP:59:2237fdguef

I want to delete any string between the 1st START and STOP strings i.e. the output should look like below. I want to delete everything that is underline above:

Output 1:

abcdefgs:456:fdkweu/:START::STOP:59:hagdsu2381ygu:73:

Output 2:

hsdgsdgcj:64:54:adcg6edd:START::STOP:59:2237fdguef

I tried the below solution of 1st identifying the string I want to remove between the first START and STOP, which I was able to identify with the code below. Next I am trying to use tranward to drop this identified string from the original column, but with no success. 

My code: 

data want;

data have;

length newstring $1000;

startpos = index(string,":START:");

endpos = index (string, startpos+7, endpos-(startpos+7));

drop startpos endpos;

string = tranward(string, new string, "");

run;

I am able to code for the first part and it works fine where I can identify the sub string I want to drop from the main string. However, I am not able to drop the identified string from the main string, using tranward. I am unable to query it correctly.

Please help with the red part of the code.

Thank you

[PaigeMiller · Accepted solution]

data want;
    set have;
    startpos=find(string,":START:"0)+6;
    endpos=find(string,":STOP:");
    string = cats(substr(string,1,startpos),substr(string,endpos));
run;

[novinosrin]

data have;
length eg $500;
eg='abcdefgs:456:fdkweu/:START:41A:45583993:START:60A:6483829992:STOP:59:hagdsu2381ygu:73:';
output;
eg='hsdgsdgcj:64:54:adcg6edd:START:71A:274765765:START:84A:26357457454:STOP:59:2237fdguef';
output;
run;

data want;
 set have;
 length want $250;
 want=cats(substr(eg,1,index(eg,'START')+5),substr(eg,index(eg,'STOP')-1));
run;

[SAS_New_User1]

Both of these solutions work very well. 

[Ksharp]

data have;
length eg $500;
eg='abcdefgs:456:fdkweu/:START:41A:45583993:START:60A:6483829992:STOP:59:hagdsu2381ygu:73:';
output;
eg='hsdgsdgcj:64:54:adcg6edd:START:71A:274765765:START:84A:26357457454:STOP:59:2237fdguef';
output;
run;
data want;
 set have;
 want=prxchange('s/start.+stop/START::STOP/i',1,eg);
 run;