CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY/AMGEN RESTRUCTURE AGREEMENT.Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc (CAT), Cambridge, England, has announced the restructuring of an existing antibody development and marketing collaboration agreement with Immunex Corporation, subsequently acquired by Amgen Inc., in which Amgen takes over responsibility for the future development of the antibodies covered by the agreement. CAT will have the right to receive milestone and royalty payments upon the success of these programs. Under the terms of the agreement, Amgen will take responsibility for the further development and marketing of the therapeutic antibody candidates isolated by CAT against two targets on which the parties agreed to collaborate and will bear all the associated costs. In return, CAT will receive from Amgen an initial fee and potential milestone payments and royalties on future sales. One candidate has been delivered by CAT to Amgen. A second candidate is the subject of a continuing research program funded by Amgen and conducted by CAT and will be delivered to Amgen in due course. Peter Chambre, CAT's CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , commented, "We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Amgen. Over the last twelve months we have reviewed our product portfolio with the intention of focusing our investment on a number of core programs. This agreement allows us to do this, whilst retaining a significant interest in the success of the two antibody w candidates which CAT has helped to develop against Amgen targets." Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) * CAT is a UK-based biotechnology company using its proprietary technologies and capabilities in human monoclonal antibodies This is a list of monoclonal antibodies, antibodies which are clones of a single parent cell. When used as medications, the generic names end in -mab (see "Nomenclature of 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 platform technology for rapidly isolating human monoclonal antibodies using phage display phage display n. A technique using recombinant DNA technology to create bacteriophages with a desired peptide embedded in the surface of their protein shells. and ribosome display Ribosome Display is a technique used to perform in vitro protein evolution to create proteins that can bind to a desired ligand. The process results in translated proteins that are associated with their mRNA progenitor which is used, as a complex, to bind to an immobilized systems. CAT has extensive phage phage: see bacteriophage. phage - A program that modifies other programs or databases in unauthorised ways; especially one that propagates a virus or Trojan horse. See also worm, mockingbird. The analogy, of course, is with phage viruses in biology. 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. * Three CAT human therapeutic antibody products are now in clinical development, with two further product candidates in pre-clinical development. * HUMIRA(TM), the leading CAT-derived antibody, isolated and optimized in collaboration with Abbott has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the US and by the European Commission for marketing in the EU as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. . * Five further licensed CAT-derived human therapeutic antibodies in clinical development, with three further licensed product candidates in pre-clinical development. * CAT has alliances with a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to discover, develop and commercialize human monoclonal antibody-based products. CAT has co- development programs with Amrad, Elan and Genzyme. * CAT has also licensed its proprietary technologies to several companies. CAT's licensees include: Abbott, Amgen, Chugai, Human Genome Sciences Human Genome Sciences NASDAQ: HGSI is a biopharmaceutical corporation founded in 1992. Its stated purpose is to "discover, develop, manufacture and market innovative drugs that serve patients with unmet medical needs, with a primary focus on protein and antibody drugs. , Merck & Co, Pfizer and Wyeth Research. * CAT is listed on the London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange London marketplace for securities. It was formed in 1773 by a group of stockbrokers who had been doing business informally in local coffeehouses. and on NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on since June 2001. CAT raised 41m Pounds in its IPO (Initial Public Offering) The first time a company offers shares of stock to the public. While not a computer term per se, many founders, employees and insiders of computer companies have found this acronym more exciting than any tech term they ever heard. in March 1997 and 93m Pounds in a secondary offering in March 2000. For more information, call 212/477-9007, ext. 17 or visit http://www.cambridgeantibody.com. |
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