RNS Number:4023F
Cambridge Antibody Tech Group PLC
20 December 2002

02/CAT/27

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

07.00 GMT 02.00 EST 20 December 2002

For further information contact:

Cambridge Antibody Technology                          Weber Shandwick Square Mile (Europe)
                                                       Tel: +44 (0) 20  7067 0700
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 471 471                              Kevin Smith
Peter Chambre, Chief Executive Officer                 Graham Herring
John Aston, Chief Financial Officer
Rowena Gardner, Director of Corporate
Communications


Crucell NV                                             BMC Communications/The Trout Group (USA)
Arie Bos, Director Corporate Communications:           Tel: 001 212 477 9007
Tel. +31-(0)71-524 8722; a.bos@crucell.com             Brad Miles, ext 17 (media)
Mary Claire Duch, Noonan Russo Presence, New York      Brandon Lewis, ext.15 (investors)
(USA): Tel. +1-212-845-4278; m.duch@nrp-euro.com




CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY AND CRUCELL
SETTLE PATENT DISPUTE

Cambridge, UK and Leiden, The Netherlands... Cambridge Antibody Technology
(LSE: CAT; NASDAQ: CATG) and Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL) announce
today that they have agreed on terms whereby Crucell receives from CAT a
worldwide licence with respect to all CAT's antibody phage display technology
patents, both pending and granted. As a result of this agreement, all existing
litigation between the two companies has been withdrawn. CAT obtains an option
to develop certain antibodies, opening the way for further collaboration between
the companies.

Under the agreement CAT will receive an initial licence fee from Crucell. In
return, Crucell, and its partners, will be free to develop and commercialise
human antibody products against targets, using CAT's patented phage
display technology. This will provide Crucell freedom under the CAT patents to
fully exploit its proprietary MAbstract(TM) technology and other phage
display technology.

CAT will receive milestone and royalty payments for any antibody products that
Crucell or its partners develop that are derived from Crucell's
MAbstract(TM) technology or other technology involving phage display.

Peter Chambre, CAT's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are delighted to
have agreed a settlement whereby Crucell takes a licence to CAT's patents, on
terms that will allow both companies to develop their respective businesses. In
removing some of the uncertainty in the field of antibody patents, both
companies will be better able to concentrate on their key activities of
developing antibody-based drugs".

Dinko Valerio, Chief Executive Officer of Crucell, commented: "Crucell is very
pleased that this agreement has been finalised on favourable terms for both
parties. We look forward to collaborating with CAT in the future in the field of
target discovery, using our proprietary MAbstract(TM) technology."


- ENDS -


Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT)

*  CAT is a UK-based biotechnology company and a leader in the discovery
   and development of human therapeutic antibodies: HumiraTM, the leading
   CAT-derived antibody, has been submitted for regulatory review by Abbott
   (responsible for development and marketing) following the completion of Phase
   III trials.  Six other CAT-derived human therapeutic antibodies are at various
   stages of clinical trials.

*  CAT has an advanced proprietary platform technology for rapidly
   isolating human monoclonal antibodies using phage 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 discover and develop a portfolio of antibody-based drugs.

*  CAT has alliances with a large number of pharmaceutical and
   biotechnology companies to discover, develop and commercialise human monoclonal
   antibody-based products. CAT has also licensed its proprietary human phage
   antibody libraries to several companies for target validation and drug
   discovery. CAT's collaborators include: Abbott, Amgen, Amrad, Chugai,
   Elan, Genzyme, Human Genome Sciences, Merck & Co, Pharmacia and Wyeth Research.

*  Based near Cambridge, England, CAT currently employs around 290 people.

*  CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on NASDAQ since June
   2001. 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 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.


Crucell


*  Crucell N.V. discovers and develops biopharmaceuticals that use the
   human immune system to combat cancer, infectious diseases and other conditions.
   Crucell leverages its patented technologies, MAbstract(TM), AdVac(TM),
   and PER.C6(TM), for discovery, development and production of antibodies and
   vaccines.

*  Crucell offers its technologies to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology
   industry and also uses them to create its own product pipeline.  Partners
   include Merck & Co. for the HIV vaccine, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
   for the Ebola vaccine and Centocor, a Johnson & Johnson company, for the CD46
   antibody for treatment of various types of cancer.  In addition, Crucell has
   over 20 licensees for its PER.C6(TM) technology.  These include Novartis,
   GSK, Aventis and Schering AG.  Crucell is headquartered in Leiden, The
   Netherlands and is listed on Euronext and NASDAQ (ticker symbol CRXL).  For more
   information visit www.crucell.com.


This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve inherent
risks and uncertainties.  We have identified certain important factors that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in such
forward-looking statements. For information relating to these factors please
refer to our Form 20-F, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission on June 13, 2002, and the section entitled "Risk Factors".
The company prepares its financial statements under generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END

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