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RNS Number:7829I
Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
21 August 2001




For Further Information Contact: 
                       
                               
Cambridge Antibody Technology   Square Mile BSMG Worldwide (Europe)
Tel: +44 (0) 1763 263 233       Tel: +44 (0) 20  7601 1000
David Chiswell, CEO             Kevin Smith
Rowena Gardner, Head of         Graham Herring
Corporate Communications
                                
                                BMC Communications/The Trout
                                Group (USA)
                                Tel: 001 212 477 9007
                                Brad Miles, ext 17 (media)
                                Brandon Lewis, ext.15
                                (investors)


 CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY COMMENTS ON GRIFFITHS PATENT
                           RULING


Melbourn, UK... Cambridge Antibody  Technology  (LSE: CAT; NASDAQ: CATG) today
confirmed that the Judge in the district court of Washington DC has ruled on a
number  of matters in relation  to the  Griffiths  patent (US 5,885,793).  The
Court was asked to rule on various matters of law after the jury was unable to
reach a decision in April, other  than  finding  that CAT was  entitled to the
priority dates of its British applications.

On  MorphoSys'  invalidity  assertions, the  Judge  found  for CAT  on four of
MorphoSys' invalidity  assertions  and  did  not  rule on the fifth. This last
invalidity assertion will need to be tried in court.

Whilst  the  Court  has  issued  no  ruling  on  infringement of the patent by
MorphoSys, the  judge  indicated  that he presently  takes the view it appears
that MorphoSys  should  prevail on this  issue, principally because of the way
the  MorphoSys  library is "derived". However he  acknowledges that "it is not
clear that CAT has been fully heard on  the issue" and thus has made no formal
ruling. The Court will now instigate  other proceedings and/or briefings which
will allow CAT to argue the  infringement issue before the court can come to a
ruling on this matter.

Dr David Chiswell, CEO  at CAT, said "We welcome the Court's rulings generally
in favour of the validity  of the  Griffiths  patent  and we  will continue to
present our view to the Judge that MorphoSys do indeed infringe the patent. In
addition  to the  Griffiths  patent  CAT is  asserting  the  Winter II and the
McCafferty patent  families  over MorphoSys in court actions in Europe and the
USA. None of these cases will  have any effect on CAT's freedom to operate and
CAT believes that taking the actions as a whole, CAT will ultimately prevail."


Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT)
- CAT is a  UK biotechnology  company  using  its  proprietary technologies in
  human  monoclonal antibodies for drug discovery and drug development.  Based
  in  Melbourn, 10 miles   south of  Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs
  around 230 people.

- CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange, having raised #41m in its IPO in
  March 1997. A further offering in   March 2000 raised #93m. Also, CAT's ADRs
  are listed on the US NASDAQ National Market.

- CAT  has  an  advanced  platform  technology  for  rapidly  isolating  human
  monoclonal  antibodies  using  phage  display  systems. CAT has an extensive
  phage 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.  Five human therapeutic antibodies
  developed by CAT are at various stages of clinical trials.

- CAT  has  a  number  of  licence  and collaborative agreements in place with
  pharmaceutical  and  biotechnology  companies  including: Eli Lilly, Pfizer,
  Genentech, ICOS,  Genetics Institute,  Wyeth-Ayerst,  Human Genome Sciences,
  Knoll Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Abbott Pharmaceuticals), AstraZeneca,
  Pharmacia, Oxford GlycoSciences, Genzyme, Immunex,  Zyomyx and Elan.

Background to CAT's patent portfolio
- CAT's patent portfolio includes about 30  families of patents, covering both
  technologies  and products.  CAT's core commercial  technology is covered by
  three main families of patents.


- CAT and  the  MRC  were awarded the US 'Griffiths' patent in March 1999 (the
  patent is co-owned).

- The Griffiths patent relates to methods of  isolating specific antibodies to
  human self-antigens from  phage display libraries and to antibodies produced
  by these methods.

- In  April  1999  MorphoSys  filed a 'declaratory judgement action' in the US
  District Court of Washington  DC, asking the Court to declare that the CAT's
  patent is invalid, and/or declare that it does not infringe the patent.  CAT
  counter-claimed against MorphoSys for infringement.

- Infringement litigation against  MorphoSys is  pending in the  same Court in
  respect of  CAT's US "McCafferty" patent, US 5,969, 108. A trial will be set
  by the Court. 

- Infringement  litigation against  MorphoSys is pending in the US, in respect
  of CAT's 'Winter II' patent, granted on 19 June 2001 and licensed to CAT.


Medical Research Council (MRC)
- The MRC is the Medical Research Council of Great Britain. The MRC owns some 
  of the patent  rights within CAT's patent portfolio either wholly or jointly
  with CAT, which they have licensed to CAT under an agreement dated 7 January
  1997.



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.
  

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