RNS Number:0074B
Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
17 November 1999


For Further Information Contact:
Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc
Dr John Aston, Finance Director       Tel: +44 (0) 1763 263233
Rowena Gardner, Communications Manager


HCC.De Facto
City/Financial, Sue Charles/Rebecca Hennessy                               
Tel: +44 (0) 171 496 3300
Trade/Science, Nikul Odedra              
       


NEW DATA FROM CLINICAL TRIALS WITH D2E7
FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS


New data from clinical trials conducted by BASF Pharma with the development
compound D2E7 for the long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are
being presented today at the 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American
College of Rheumatology meeting in Boston, MA. D2E7, a fully human antibody,
belongs to a new class of medicines that neutralises TNF-alpha. 

A randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study with 283 patients found
that D2E7 when given by self injection at a dose of 20 to 80 mg once weekly
over a three-month period was significantly superior to placebo. 

A separate study examined radiographic disease progression among 66 patients
with long-term RA via X-rays. Results suggest that D2E7 slows disease
progression in RA patients.

D2E7 was initially isolated and optimised as part of a research collaboration
between BASF Pharma and Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT). BASF Pharma is
solely responsible for the pre-clinical/clinical development and marketing of
D2E7. BASF Pharma is planning to initiate Phase III clinical trials with D2E7
in the near future.

Notes to editors:

1. TNF is a cell communication protein that plays a role in the immune system.
In RA, TNF accumulates disproportionately in the joints and initiates an
inflammatory response that causes swelling, pain and joint damage - primarily
in the hands, feet, elbows and knees, and often rendering the patient unable
to perform daily activities. Anti-TNF drugs neutralise this reaction by
blocking the chemical message sent from cell to cell that results in joint
inflammation and swelling. Essentially, D2E7 is designed to capture TNF and to
interrupt the process that can lead to the symptoms of RA.

2. Placebo: An inactive substance administered to some patients in a clinical
trial, instead of the drug under investigation.

3. Double blind: A type of clinical trial in which neither the doctor or the
patient knows whether the patient is being administered a placebo or the test
drug. 

4. BASF Pharma represents the global corporate pharmaceutical operations of
BASF Aktiengesellschaft with Knoll AG, Germany at its centre. In 1998, BASF
Pharma sales amounted to DM 4.51 billion, representing an increase of 10 per
cent over the preceding year. BASF Pharma has a global workforce of more than
13,000.

5. Knoll Pharmaceutical Company, headquartered in Mount Olive, NJ, is the US
pharmaceutical unit of BASF Corporation and part of BASF Pharma, the global
pharmaceutical business of BASF, AG.

6. Cambridge Antibody Technology (LSE: CAT) is a UK biotechnology company
using its proprietary technologies in fully human monoclonal antibodies for
drug discovery and drug development.  Based in Melbourn, 10 miles south of
Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs around 150 people.  In March 1997,
CAT completed its initial public offering and listing on the London Stock
Exchange, raising approximately #41 million.

CAT has a world-leading platform technology for rapidly isolating fully human
monoclonal antibodies using phage display systems. CAT has an extensive phage
display antibody library, currently incorporating around 100 billion distinct
antibodies. This library forms the basis for the company's strategy to develop
a portfolio of clinical development programmes and for discovering new drug
leads using functional genomics.  Three fully human therapeutic antibodies
developed by CAT are at various stages of clinical trials. 

CAT has a number of license and collaborative agreements in place with
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including: Eli Lilly, Pfizer, BASF
Pharma, Genentech, ICOS Corporation, Genetics Institute/BASF Pharma,
Wyeth-Ayerst, Human Genome Sciences and AstraZeneca.


END
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