CAT Fight with Abbott: The Calculus of Royalty Offsets and Partnering Reputation
Executive Summary
The fight between Abbott Laboratories and Cambridge Antibody Technology over two partly overlapping royalty-giveback clauses in their contract on Humira has implications far beyond the money--which itself is not inconsiderable. Abbott could theoretically save itself some $60 million in royalty fees, but it could also win itself a name for playing hardball with its partners, even in the event of a major drug development success.