University of Minnesota: IPR and Abacavir


Abacavir, the antiretroviral drug sold under the brand name Ziagen by GlaxoSmithKline, was invented by researchers at the University of Minnesota with financial support from the federal government. The University holds patent rights for Abacavir, and under a 1999 court settlement, receives substantial royalties from GlaxoSmithKline on sales of the drug. Students at the university are pressuring the administration to adopt policies which would promote access to low-cost generic abacavir in developing countries, rather policies which support GlaxoSmithKline's monopoly on the drug.

Documents from the Students

Letters to University of Minnesota from NGOs Supporting the Students' Demands General Information News Stories


CPT Home IP and Healthcare CPT page on HIV/AIDS