TAB Becket Invest Plc

RNS No 7128a
THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODIES INC
9 August 1999

THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODIES INC
SUBMITS DIGITAb FOR FDA APPROVAL

London, 9 August 1999 - Therapeutic Antibodies announces that it
has   submitted   a  Product  License  Application   (PLA)   and
Establishment License Application (ELA) to the US Food and  Drug
Administration (FDA), seeking approval of its product,  DigiTAb,
which is designed to treat the effects of digoxin toxicity.  The
FDA's  acceptance  of  the  filing for  review  will  trigger  a
milestone  payment from Altana Inc., Therapeutic Antibodies'  US
marketing partner for DigiTAb.

The  submission  of  the DigiTAb PLA and ELA  marks  Therapeutic
Antibodies' second PLA and ELA submission to the FDA in the last
15  months.  The Company anticipates the FDA will grant the same
standard  12  month review period for DigiTAb as it granted  for
the Company's rattlesnake antivenom, CroTAb.  The CroTAb PLA and
ELA were submitted to the FDA in April 1998 and are in the final
stages of review.

Therapeutic  Antibodies developed DigiTAb for  treating  digoxin
intoxication.  Digoxin is the most commonly prescribed  form  of
digitalis,  which has been in use worldwide for  many  years  to
treat  a  range  of heart conditions.  However,  digoxin  has  a
narrow therapeutic range and can cause life-threatening toxicity
as a result of both acute overdose and chronic poisoning.  It is
estimated that 7,500 cases of digoxin toxicity occur annually in
the  US  and  Europe, with the majority in the US.  DigiTAb  has
also  been  shown to be effective in the treatment  of  oleander
poisoning.   Oleander, a common plant found  throughout  the  US
coastal  states  and Southeast Asia, contains  seeds  and  plant
parts which are poisonous when ingested.

Andrew  J.  Heath, MD, Therapeutic Antibodies'  CEO,  commented,
'the  submission of the DigiTAb filing within 15 months  of  the
CroTAb  submission is evidence of management's focus in  meeting
product development milestones.  With CroTAb approaching the  US
marketplace  and the merger with Proteus moving  ahead,  we  are
well  on the way to creating a self-sustaining biopharmaceutical
business.'

For further information, please contact:

Stuart Wallis, Chairman - tel: 0171 553 1483
Therapeutic Antibodies Inc

Saul Komisar - tel: 615-327-1027
Therapeutic Antibodies Inc

Nick Freer - tel: 0171 379 5151
The Maitland Consultancy

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The FDA application contains data from three clinical studies of
DigiTAb:  an  ongoing  study  of  DigiTAb  in  digoxin  overdose
patients  in  the  US and Europe, a trial in healthy  volunteers
comparing DigiTAb to Digibind and a study conducted in Sri Lanka
in patients with oleander toxicity.

In  1986, Glaxo Wellcome introduced Digibind, a similar product,
for  the  treatment  of  life-threatening digoxin  intoxication.
DigiTAb  will  compete directly with Digibind in  the  emergency
medicine   product  market.   DigiTAb  will   have   a   broader
application  than  Digibind  if the FDA  approves  the  oleander
indication.

Therapeutic  Antibodies  is  an international  biopharmaceutical
company 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.

The  Company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee,  adjacent
to  the  Vanderbilt  University Medical Center.   The  Company's
research laboratories are located at the Medical College of  St.
Bartholomew's  Hospital  in  London.   Therapeutic   Antibodies'
products are manufactured at the Company's production facilities
in  Australia  and  the  UK  for  worldwide  distribution.   The
Company's common stock is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

On  20  May  1999, the Boards of Proteus International  plc  and
Therapeutic  Antibodies Inc announced that they had executed  an
agreement  providing for the merger of Proteus  and  Therapeutic
Antibodies, accompanied by a conditional non pre-emptive placing
of  23,325,000 new Proteus ordinary shares at 40p per  share  to
raise  approximately  #7.0  million  net  of  expenses  for  the
enlarged  group,  which at the placing  price  has  a  value  of
approximately   #63.1   million.   Upon  the   merger   becoming
effective,  Therapeutic  Antibodies' shareholders  will  receive
1.163  Proteus  ordinary shares for each  share  of  Therapeutic
Antibodies common stock.  The merger is subject to the  approval
of  shareholders  of  both  Proteus and Therapeutic  Antibodies.
Shareholders' meetings of both companies are expected to be held
as soon as practical following regulatory approvals.

An   electronic  version  of  this  news  release,  as  well  as
additional  information  about  Therapeutic  Antibodies  Inc  is
available at http://www.tab.co.uk on the Company's home page.

This  release,  and oral statements made from time  to  time  by
Company  representatives concerning the subject  matter  hereof,
may  contain  so-called  'forward  looking  statements'.   These
statements  can  be  identified by introductory  words  such  as
'expects', 'plans', 'will', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'projects'
or  words of similar meaning, and by the fact that they  do  not
relate strictly to historical or current facts.  Forward-looking
statements  frequently  are  used in  discussing  the  Company's
growth  strategy, operating and financial goals, plans  relating
to   regulatory   submissions  and  approvals  and   development
programs.  Many factors may cause actual results to differ  from
the  Company's forward-looking statements, including  inaccurate
assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some
of which are known and others of which are not.  Those and other
risks are described in the Company's filings with the Securities
and  Exchange Commission, copies of which are available from the
SEC  or  may  be  obtained upon request from  the  Company.   No
forward-looking  statement is a guarantee of future  results  or
events,  and  one  should avoid placing undue reliance  on  such
statements.

END

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