Access to Antibody Technology

Oxford Biomedica PLC
1 February 2001


For further information, please contact:       
Oxford BioMedica plc       
Professor Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive       Tel: [phone]
City/Financial Enquiries:
David Simonson/Melanie Toyne Sewell
Merlin Financial Communications                Tel: [phone]
Scientific/Trade Press Enquiries:
Chris Gardner, HCC.De Facto Group              Tel: [phone]


                     OXFORD BIOMEDICA ACQUIRES ACCESS 
                          TO ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY


Oxford UK - 1 February 2001: Oxford BioMedica announced today that it has
signed an agreement with the French Centre for National Scientific Research
(CNRS) and the University of Montpellier that grants BioMedica exclusive
access to antibody technology developed by Dr Marc Piechaczyk at the
University of Montpellier. As part of the agreement BioMedica will pay an
upfront fee, milestones and royalties on sales.

The antibody technology covers the general concept of genetic delivery of
antibodies for use in the treatment of a wide range of diseases including
cancer. It complements technology that BioMedica has developed in-house, aimed
at developing gene-based products to create, in a patient, a cellular factory
that produces therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of a wide range of
diseases. 

Antibodies are a key component of the immune response to disease, and
increasingly, pharmaceutical companies are developing therapies using
externally delivered antibodies targeted at specific diseases. Important new
drugs such as Genentech/Roche's Herceptin for breast cancer and Rituxan for
lymphoma, and American Home Products' Mylotarg for leukaemia are already being
sold on the market, and other new products are being developed.

The new gene-based technology being developed by Oxford BioMedica is designed
to circumvent some of the problems, particularly related to manufacture and
delivery of antibodies, that have been associated with the development of
therapeutic antibodies. If successful, it should lead to an increase in the
number of new antibody products and should be applicable in the treatment of
diseases such as cancer, inflammation or infectious diseases.

Commenting on this agreement Alan Kingsman, Chief Executive of Oxford
BioMedica said:  
'We are delighted to have established a link with CNRS and the University of
Montpellier. BioMedica is already active in immunotherapy and has commercial
alliances with American Home Products and Nycomed Amersham in the antibody
field. This agreement further strengthens the Company's commercial position in
gene-based antibody technology.'



Notes to Editors

1. Oxford BioMedica
Established in 1995, the Company specialises in the development and
application of gene-based therapeutics and immunotherapeutics for the
treatment of disease in the areas of Oncology, Neurobiology and Viral
Infection. During 2000 Oxford BioMedica expanded its activities by the
establishment of a Gene Discovery Division which applies the Company's
gene-based technologies in the field of genomics with the intention of
identifying genes that may be linked to disease. Oxford BioMedica plc was
floated on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange in
December 1996. 

Currently Oxford BioMedica has corporate collaborations with Aventis,
AstraZeneca, IDM, Modex Therapeutics, Nycomed Amersham, Valentis, Virbac and
Wyeth-Ayerst. BioMedica has two products in Phase I/II clinical trials.
MetXia(R) is in clinical trials for late-stage breast cancer (BC1) and ovarian
cancer (OC1), and TroVax(TM) is in clinical trials for late-stage colorectal
cancer.

2. World Wide Web
This release is also available on the World Wide Web at: 
http://www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk