CAT partners with Chughai

Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
30 September 2002


02/CAT/24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

08.00 BST, 03.00 EST Monday 30 September 2002

For further information contact:               Weber Shandwick Square Mile (Europe)

Cambridge Antibody Technology                  Tel: [phone]

Tel: [phone]                       Kevin Smith

Peter Chambre, Chief Executive Officer         Graham Herring

John Aston, Chief Financial Officer

Rowena Gardner, Director of Corporate
Communications
                                               BMC Communications/The Trout Group
                                               (USA)

                                               Tel: [phone]

                                               Brad Miles, ext.17 (media)

                                               Brandon Lewis, ext.15 (investors)



   CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS WITH CHUGAI TO DEVELOP NOVEL HUMAN
                             MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES

   Commitment to the custom development of human antibody-based therapeutics



Melbourn, UK... Cambridge Antibody Technology (LSE: CAT; NASDAQ: CATG) today
announces an agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TSE 4519), of Japan
to license CAT's proprietary antibody phage display libraries for the discovery,
development and commercialisation of human monoclonal antibodies.

Under the terms of the agreement, CAT will receive licence fees from Chugai to
utilise the antibody libraries for reagent generation and target validation in
support of drug discovery programmes at Chugai. In addition, Chugai will receive
exclusive therapeutic antibody product options and CAT will receive fees,
clinical milestones and royalty payments on product sales.

Peter Chambre, Chief Executive Officer of CAT, commented, "We are delighted to
license CAT's human antibody libraries to Chugai, one of the leading Japanese
pharmaceutical companies. We look forward to working closely with Chugai to
accelerate their programmes to validate human disease-associated targets and
discover therapeutic human antibody drugs. This new collaboration with Chugai is
important in that it further expands the number of major companies utilising
CAT's technology and capability and allows CAT to participate in the value
generated by our partner's development and commercialisation of human antibody
drugs."

Dr. Tatsumi Yamazaki, Vice President of Research of Chugai, added, "Chugai has
established a unique competitive edge in the development of therapeutic
antibodies. We have high expectation that this partnership with CAT will further
accelerate Chugai's research and development processes including the screening
and validation of antibodies."

                                     -ENDS-



Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT)


  • CAT is a UK-based biotechnology company using its proprietary technologies
    and capabilities in human monoclonal antibodies for drug discovery and drug
    development. Based near Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs around 280
    people.
  • CAT is a leader in the discovery and development of human therapeutic
    antibodies and has an advanced proprietary platform technology for rapidly
    isolating human monoclonal antibodies using phage display systems. CAT has
    extensive phage antibody libraries, currently incorporating more than 100
    billion distinct antibodies. These libraries form the basis for the
    Company's strategy to develop a portfolio of antibody-based drugs.
  • D2E7, the leading CAT-derived antibody, has been submitted for regulatory
    review by Abbott (responsible for development and marketing) following the
    completion of Phase III trials.
  • Six other CAT-derived human therapeutic antibodies are at various stages
    of clinical trials.
  • CAT has alliances with a large number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology
    companies to discover, develop and commercialise human monoclonal
    antibody-based products. CAT has also licensed its proprietary human phage
    antibody libraries to several companies for target validation and drug
    discovery. CAT's collaborators include: Abbott, Amgen, Amrad, Elan, Genzyme,
    Human Genome Sciences, Merck & Co, Pharmacia and Wyeth Research.
  • CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ since June 2001.
    CAT raised £41m in its IPO in March 1997 and £93m in a secondary offering in
    March 2000.



Application of the Safe Harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: This press release contains statements about Cambridge Antibody
Technology Group plc ("CAT") that are forward looking statements. All statements
other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may be
forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. These forward looking statements are based on numerous
assumptions regarding CAT's present and future business strategies and the
environment in which CAT will operate in the future. Certain factors that could
cause CAT's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially
from those in the forward looking statements include: market conditions, CAT's
ability to enter into and maintain collaborative arrangements, success of
product candidates in clinical trials, regulatory developments and competition


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange