Cambridge Antibody Wins Abbott Ruling

England-based Cambridge Antibody Technology Group won a court ruling that awarded it higher royalties from U.S. partner Abbott Laboratories for its role in developing one of the biggest drugs to come from Britain’s biotechnology industry.

Cambridge Antibody claimed Abbott unfairly cut the royalties to pay other companies, including Genentech Inc., that held patents for techniques used to make Humira, a rheumatoid arthritis drug. Abbott rejected allegations that it behaved dishonestly and said it was entitled to slash the payments in order to pay royalties to the companies.

Shares of Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott fell 57 cents to $46.42 on the NYSE.