Cambridge Antibody Technology Legal Action With Abbott Procedural Hearing

CAT now reports that Mr Justice Laddie will hear argument (and is likely to decide at the hearing) on these various procedural matters, including whether either party shall be responsible for the other party's costs of the trial and whether either party may have the right to appeal the decision, in a hearing in open court commencing at 10.30 GMT on Friday 28 January 2005.
CAT will issue a news release reporting the Judge's rulings as soon as practical after the hearing is finished.

Notes to Editors
Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT):
* CAT is a biopharmaceutical 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 technology for rapidly
isolating human monoclonal antibodies using phage display and ribosome
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.

* Four CAT human therapeutic antibody products are now at various stages
of clinical development, with one further product candidate in pre-
clinical development.

* HUMIRA, the leading CAT-derived antibody, isolated and optimised in
collaboration with Abbott, has been approved for marketing as a
treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in 51 countries. Six further
licensed CAT-derived human therapeutic antibodies are in clinical
development by licensees, with four further licensed product candidates
in pre-clinical development.

* CAT has alliances with a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies to discover, develop and commercialise human monoclonal
antibody-based products.

* CAT has a strategic alliance with AstraZeneca to discover and develop
human antibody therapeutics in inflammatory disorders.

* CAT has a broad collaboration with Genzyme for the development and
commercialisation of antibodies directed against TGFb, a family of
proteins associated with fibrosis and scarring. This collaboration has
so far given rise to one antibody product candidate at clinical
development stage, and one at pre-clinical development stage.

* CAT has also licensed its proprietary technologies to several
companies. CAT's licensees include: Abbott, Amgen, Chugai, Genzyme,
Human Genome Sciences, Merck & Co, Pfizer and Wyeth Research.

* CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on Nasdaq. CAT raised
41m pounds in its IPO in March 1997 and 93m pounds in a secondary
offering in March 2000.