On July 31, 2008, nearly 50 congressional Democrats signed a letter to Susan Schwab, the U.S. Trade Representative, addressing growing concerns with the issuance of compulsory licenses by the Thai government.  The letter emphasizes that "strong intellectual property rights [are] necessary in order to continue fueling the innovation that leads to the development of life-saving medicines." It goes on to urge "a continued strong response from the U.S. government on compulsory licensing" in light of "the suggestion of some that countries issue them with greater frequency and in areas other than medicines, including medical devices and even patented environmental technologies."  CHI applauds members of the California delegation -- Reps. Susan Davis (San Diego), Michael Honda (Campbell), Jerry McNerney (Pleasanton), Ellen Tauscher (Walnut Creek), and Mike Thompson (Eureka) -- who signed the letter.

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