Exhibit 10.8I

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            GlaxoSmithKline
One Franklin Plaza
P.O. Box 7929
Philadelphia, PA
19101-7929

Tel. 215 751 4000
Fax. 215 751 3400
www.gsk.com

          August 1, 2001

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
420 Chipeta Way
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108

RE: Amendment Agreement to Amend the January 24, 2000 Amendment Agreement

Dear Sirs:

This Amendment Agreement to amend the January 24, 2000 Amendment Agreement will
confirm that the Letter Agreement dated November 26, 1997 between NPS
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a corporation of the state of Delaware, having a place of
business at 420 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, U.S.A. (herein referred
to as “NPS”) and SmithKline Beecham Corporation, a GlaxoSmithKline Company, a
corporation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having a place of business at
One Franklin Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101, U.S.A. (hereinafter
referred to as “GSK”) shall be amended, effective as of the date of NPS’
signature below, as follows:

•   In the second bullet, delete the “fifth, sixth, and seventh RESEARCH years”
and insert therefor the words “fifth and sixth RESEARCH years, and at a level of
one hundred seventy five thousand U.S. dollars (U.S. $175,000) per NPS FTE who
is a lab personnel and at a level of one hundred fifty thousand U.S. dollars
(U.S. $150,000) per NPS FTE who is a non-lab based consultant for the seventh
RESEARCH year and at a level of two hundred twenty five thousand U.S. dollars
(U.S. $225,000) per NPS FTE who is a non-lab based consultant for the eighth
RESEARCH year, provided that it is understood that there will only be a total of
two (2) NPS FTE’s during the seventh RESEARCH year and only a total of four (4)
NPS FTE’s during the eighth RESEARCH year, and the levels outlined above will be
applied on a pro-rata basis depending on the type of NPS FTE utilized.

•   This Amendment Agreement shall be retroactively effective as of November 1,
2000.

•   All other terms and conditions of the Letter Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect.

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Please indicate your acceptance of this January 24, 2000 Amendment Agreement by
signing and dating the duplicate copies of this letter below and returning one
such fully executed copy to GSK.

  Very truly yours,   SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION
(a GlaxoSmithKline Company)         By: /s/ Donald F. Parman         Donald F.
Parman   Title: Secretary   Date: August 1, 2001

AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
NPS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.         By: /s/ E. F. Nemith          E. F. Nemith  
Title: CSO   Date: 7 Aug 2001  

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