Re. Legal Action with Abbott

Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
22 November 2004


04/CAT/15

Page 1 of 1


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Monday 22 November 2004


For further information contact:             Weber Shandwick Square Mile
                                             (Europe)
Cambridge Antibody Technology                Tel: [phone]
Tel: [phone]                    Kevin Smith
Peter Chambre, Chief Executive Officer       Sarah MacLeod
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

                            LEGAL ACTION WITH ABBOTT

Cambridge, UK... Cambridge Antibody Technology (LSE: CAT; NASDAQ: CATG) today
announces that, during the course of today's hearing in the High Court in
London, following an application from a third party, the judge made an order
that certain court documents including opening submissions could be made
available to third parties.

Copies of such documents will be available upon request from CAT's corporate
communications team on [phone] or by emailing
[e-mail] not before noon GMT on 23 November 2004.

                                      ###

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, UK, 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 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, with six 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. In particular, CAT has a broad collaboration with
     Genzyme for the development and commercialisation of antibodies directed
     against TGF, 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 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 the company's present and future business strategies and
the environment in which the company will operate in the future. Certain factors
that could cause the company'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. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward
looking statements contained in this press release. These statements speak only
as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update
or revise the statements.




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