"[N]ever be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family in the state" were the words of the University of Wisconsin's 10th president, Charles Van Hise. What Van Hise articulated in 1904 developed into the university's famed philosophy, the Wisconsin Idea.

But as any witness to history will tell you, the Wisconsin Idea was never kept only in Wisconsin. Rather, that "beneficent influence" of which Van Hise spoke so proudly has reached every part of the world and impacted it for the better.

For this reason, when our impact in the world is felt negatively, special note should be taken by the UW community and the wrongs of such actions should be fought with an iron will.

Such is the case of Chicago-based pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories.

The relationship that exists between UW, Abbott Labs and the Kingdom of Thailand is unique, but not all that surprising considering the depth and breadth of university research, the buyers looking to profit from that research, and the countries and individuals who need that research for development and progress.

That relationship began as far back as 1994, when the World Trade Organization sat down with member organizations to lay down a set of standards aimed at protecting intellectual property rights in a comprehensive attempt to keep the trading game fair.

The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) gave international law a method for preventing illegal profiteering by countries with a penchant for theft. I'm pointing at you, China.

To be fair, today's globalizing world has a certain vulnerability to international crooks and pirates aiming to make off with the undeserved profits for everything from software and business patents to music, movies and books.

Of course, these are not the only things TRIPS protects. One of the most important was certainly the fair and correct production of pharmaceuticals — generic and otherwise.

As would be expected, TRIPS heavily favored America's large pharmaceuticals, Abbott Labs included.

Recent controversy surrounding Abbott Labs has centered on one very special drug called Kaletra.

The AIDS medication provides a second-line drug treatment and is especially important in developing nations, where the AIDS pandemic continues its spread through regions of sub-Saharan Africa and now into India and China. In situations where entire generations of African populations are being eliminated, Kaletra is more than just a significant drug — it is an essential one.

Unfortunately, the drug is not offered at a reasonable price for many struggling nations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the average income allows for a dollar or less a day and Kaletra is sold at $500 per patient annually. Kaletra is priced at $7,500 per patient annually in the U.S.

However, in circumstances where a public health crisis exists, TRIPS allows for nations to issue a "compulsory" license in order to produce the drug generically.

Thailand, caught between a growing AIDS crisis (580, 000 infected, with numbers rising rapidly), a status as a so-called middle-income nation, and a drug far overpriced for potential patients, was forced to request a compulsory license.

Abbott Laboratories immediately pulled Kaletra, along with six other drugs, from the Thai market. In doing so, they have unwittingly brought upon themselves the protestation of many around the world, as well as specific members of the university community.

Of the six drugs pulled from Thailand, one, Zemplar, was invented here at the University of Wisconsin by biochemistry professor Hector DeLuca. The drug acts on secondary hyperparathyroidism in people with severe chronic kidney disease.

It has, I assure you, nothing to do with AIDS or Kaletra.

But it has everything to do with the Wisconsin Idea, and the notion that our research should go toward those who need it most when they need it most.

Instead, our research is being used as political leverage in a campaign to curb nations struggling with legitimate health crises from pursuing proper legal course to battle illness.

It is criminal.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, one of the oldest and most successful technology transfer hubs in the country as well as the organization through which all UW research travels to the outside world, must make our voice heard to Abbott Laboratories.

"I believe it is unfortunate that patients anywhere in the world are denied this wonderful drug because of political reasons," Mr. DeLuca told Abbott in a March e-mail. "I urge you to do everything you can to see to it that this medication is made available in that country and any other country where patients are suffering."

Since January 2007, when Thailand issued its compulsory license, Abbott Laboratories has offered Kaletra at $1,000 — down from $2,200 — per patient annually. Imagine this in a country where the average income falls at roughly $2,168.

Though Abbott has offered to lower the cost of Kaletra, they have yet to reinstate the original 6 drugs withdrawn from the Thai market. With such reckless actions, the fate of compulsory licenses remains in jeopardy and sends a threatening message to other nations wishing to issue licenses to defeat public health crises.

WARF must do the right thing for the Wisconsin Idea and for the benefit of the world. The Wisconsin influence must continue to spread, and any obstacle to its growth is an obstacle to the world's progress as well.

Sundeep Malladi ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and history.

Katherine Guerra ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in international studies with a certificate in African studies. She is also lead coordinator of UW's Student Global AIDS Coalition.