TAB Becket Invest Plc

RNS No 0714j
THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODIES INC.
13th October 1997

                               
                 THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODIES INC.
              SIGNS US$23M U.S. LICENCING DEAL
             FOR NEW EMERGENCY MEDICINE PRODUCTS

Therapeutic Antibodies Inc. (TAb) and Altana Inc., announce a
marketing and distribution agreement, covering rights to three
new emergency medicine products under development by TAb.
Under terms of the agreement, Altana will pay TAb US$23 million
for the distribution rights in the United States for
CroTAb(registered trademark), DigiTAbTM and TriTAbTM, three
highly purified polyclonal antibodies, designed for emergency
medicine use.  Altana Inc. is the United States subsidiary of
Altana AG, a leading German supplier of pharmaceuticals through
its Byk Gulden unit.

TAb will receive US$4.5 million upon the achievement of
milestones expected in 1997 and 1998.  Up to another US$5.5
million will be paid to TAb, based on achievement of additional
milestones culminating with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approvals for the product line.  TAb will
also receive bonus payments estimated at US$13 million tied to
the first three years of each product's sales following FDA
approval.  Revenues will be shared between the Companies with
TAb receiving 50 per cent of net revenues through ongoing
payments for the supply of product and royalties on sales.

The agreement with Altana extends for five years following the
first FDA approval of each product.  A renewal clause provides
for an additional five years if minimum sales targets are met.
TAb will continue to be responsible for the clinical
development, regulatory submissions, manufacturing and
packaging for each product.

Martin S. Brown, Chairman and CEO of TAb said, "This agreement
represents an extremely valuable step for Therapeutic
Antibodies.  It confirms our view as to the potential of our
product line and provides a continuing source of income.  The
significance of today's announcement is strengthened by the
fact that we are finalising the CroTAb(registered trademark)
Product Licence Application for FDA submission.  We now have a
partnership with a capable and motivated sales organisation
enabling rapid market penetration as soon as the product is
approved.  We believe that these products, together with
Altana's sales and marketing capabilities, can make significant
contributions to emergency medicine."

George Cole, President of Altana Inc., said, "We welcome these
innovative products to our portfolio.  We are confident that
our experience and expertise will establish these products as
standards for emergency medicine care."

Enquiries:

Therapeutic Antibodies Inc.  Martin Brown
0171 606 8637                Glyn Edwards

Brunswick                    Stephen Breslin
0171 404 5959                Frank De Maria


Note to Editors

The TAb Group

Therapeutic Antibodies Inc. is an international
biopharmaceutical group specialising in research, development
and production of highly purified polyclonal antibodies for
treatment of diseases and other life-threatening conditions for
which satisfactory therapies have generally not previously
existed.

These products were developed at the Company's research
laboratories located at the Medical College of St.
Bartholomew's Hospital in London.  They are manufactured at
TAb's production facilities in Wales and Australia. TAb is
headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and is listed on the
London Stock Exchange (TAB.L).

Altana AG

Altana AG is a global company with 1996 sales of DM2.3 billion
(US$1.4 billion) from its pharmaceutical and specialty
chemicals businesses.  Its pharmaceutical unit, Byk Gulden
Chemische Fabrik GmbH, is ranked 55th in the world and achieved
sales of DM1.6 billion (US$965 million).  Byk Gulden invests
approximately DM250 million a year in research and development.

Altana Inc. sells ethical pharmaceuticals through its Savage
Laboratories division.  Savage Laboratories, with its
nationwide sales organisation of approximately 100
representatives, will introduce the TAb products to the
emergency medicine market.

Emergency Medicine Products

CroTAb(registered trademark) is an antivenom product which
preclinical studies have shown to be five times more potent
than current therapies in offsetting the poisonous effect of
North American pit vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads and
cottonmouths).  Clinical trials have indicated a promising
safety profile for CroTAb(registered trademark), a major
clinical consideration given that existing antivenoms have a
high incidence of serious side-effects.  Phase III studies have
been satisfactorily completed and TAb is preparing to submit
applications for regulatory approval for CroTAb(registered
trademark).

DigiTAbTM has been developed to negate the effects of digoxin
poisoning, frequently seen among congestive heart failure
patients.  This product is currently in Phase III clinical
evaluation in the United States and Europe.

TriTAbTM is being developed to reverse the toxicity stemming
from overdose of tricyclic anti-depressants, a leading cause of
life-threatening poisoning episodes seen in emergency medicine.
Up to 60,000 patients per year might benefit from an effective
treatment.  Currently, there is no antidote for overdose of
this widely-used family of products.  A dose finding clinical
study is being readied.

An electronic version of this news release is available on the
Company's home page at http://www.tab.co.uk



END

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