The University would welcome a price reduction of Ziagen in sub-Saharan Africa by GlaxoSmithKline, despite a potential reduction in its royalties. Nothing in the University s license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline prohibits it from carrying out such a price reduction. University of Minnesota royalties from Ziagen are a very small fraction of the drug s total sales. Royalties coming to the University are used for public purposes. Specifically, Ziagen royalties directly support the College of Pharmacy and the department of medicinal chemistry in the development of new drug therapies.
Royalties also support graduate students and research support programs.
The University of Minnesota plays a leading role in the search for solutions to the AIDS crisis. This search is not confined to our laboratories researching treatments for the disease, but includes large-scale programs to better understand the epidemiological features of the disease, identify effective prevention strategies and better public education. The University advocates a multipronged effect to fight the AIDS epidemic, using professionals from not only health sciences but social work, finance, engineering or any other are necessary to contain the epidemic.