Some public health advocates have become concerned that

Situation: Advertising prescription drugs to consumers might influence patients to want certain drugs, even if it's not the right drug for their condition.

Concern: patients might be taking drugs that are not the right drug for their condition.

Thing to note: to get a hold of the drug, the physician needs to fill our a prescription.

Chain of Causation: advertising to consumers leads to inappropriate drug use ONLY if it causes physicians to fill out inappropriate prescriptions.

D assures us that advertising to consumers does NOT cause physicians to fill out inappropriate prescriptions, because physicians don't care what the consumer asks of them.

Ergo, the answer is D.

Concern: Direct marketing to consumer may be inappropriate for their individual health situation since marketing may cause some patients to pursue certain medications that they would find suitable to their heath.

A) After a certain number of years, prescription drugs lose patent protection and other companies can then manufacture and market generic forms of the drugs.
Incorrect: Out of scope as nothing is discussed about type of drugs

B) Consumers can now find technical drug information on the Internet, information that previously would have been available only to physicians.
Incorrect. This will increase the concern instead of reducing.

C) Physicians are also exposed to prescription drug advertisements that are directed toward consumers.
Incorrect. As this simply restates the premise.

D) Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment.
Correct: The argument also states that "physician's prescription is still required in order for patients to obtain these drugs" This premise, to some extent, addresses the concern and option D also adds to this. If there is effect of pressure from patient, then physician will continue to prescribe the appropriate drugs.

E) Fewer than 15% of patients are likely to remember and ask by name for specific drugs that they see advertised in magazines or on television.
Incorrect: This option is least likely address the concern as it is finally on physician to prescribe the drugs.

Some public health advocates have become concerned that directly advertising prescription drugs to consumers is likely to cause some patients to pursue certain medications that may be inappropriate for their individual health situation. However, marketing to consumers should not be limited as long as physicians also continue to be educated about such medications, because a physician's prescription is still required in order for patients to obtain these drugs.

Which of the following facts would most directly address the concern articulated by the public health advocates?
-Conclusion: Marketing to consumers need not be limited if physicians continue to be educated about the medications. Premise: The medication can't be obtained without a physician's prescription. The question is essentially asking for something that would strengthen this argument.
A) After a certain number of years, prescription drugs lose patent protection and other companies can then manufacture and market generic forms of the drugs. *Patent protection and production of generic drugs are out of scope.
B) Consumers can now find technical drug information on the Internet, information that previously would have been available only to physicians.*Even if patients can access more information, they would still need a prescription.
C) Physicians are also exposed to prescription drug advertisements that are directed toward consumers. *Exposure to the advertisements doesn't mean they are influenced enough to prescribe the drugs.
D) Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment. *Patients misinformed by advertisements cannot access the drugs by influencing their physicians (the ultimate authority on the prescription).
E) Fewer than 15% of patients are likely to remember and ask by name for specific drugs that they see advertised in magazines or on television.*A physician's approval is still required for the few that actually remember to ask for specific drugs by name.

Correct answer is D.
The public health advocates are concerned that patients are exposed to advertisements about prescription drugs, and may pursue these drugs even though the drugs may not be clinically appropriate. It is argued that, because physicians must prescribe the drugs in question, patient pursuit of these prescription drugs is irrelevant. However, patients who pursue and request particular prescription drugs may be able to encourage or induce a physician to prescribe drugs that he or she might not have prescribed otherwise.in the absence of such encouragement.
There maybe some confusion b/w C & D, but C can be rejected because it does not address the public health advocates' concerns.

I dont understand how is D the answer ;

If there is no pressure from the patients on the doc then he cant prescribe them any sort of harmful drug ;

If there was pressure then the answer could be this ;

can somebody please respond

Can someone tell me how did you knock C out?

The concern: Since patients are directly prescribed the drugs, they might be influenced by the marketing and go for wrong drugs on their own.
Addressing the concern: The patients still cannot buy whatever drugs they want, as the drugs re still being prescribed by the doctors who ARE NOT INFLUENCED BY THE PATIENTS.

This is what the Option D says.

Does it help?

the argument says in the end that patients cant buy these drugs without physician prescription...so no matter how much information a patient can get from internet, he or she cant buy..so C wrong
its only if patient do not pressurize physician to prescribed him/her advertised drug

If Physicians ARE susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment then advertising the medication is in accordance to what the public health advocates say. So we need to negate this possibility by saying "physicians ARE NOT" susceptible to pressure from patients. So D is correct.

C is incorrect because what it says is already stated in argument as "as long as physicians also continue to be educated about such medications".

A similar question where an attractive answer choice is wrong for this reason only. the tough part is to figure out that what is stated in wrong choice is present in the argument. Here it is.

I think it's more confused in the question stem than in the answer choice
"Which of the following facts would most directly address the concern articulated by the public health advocates?"

I thought it's tell me to strengthen the public health advocates
that.. "concerned that directly advertising prescription drugs to consumers is likely to cause some patients to pursue certain medications that may be inappropriate for their individual health situation."

Advertising will lead to use of drugs that may be inappropriate for the patient.

Physicians are being educated about the usage of the drugs and without prescription the drugs will not be available to the patient.

We need to find -



None of the option except (D) most directly address the concern of the inappropriate usage of drugs...

Concern: "directly advertising prescription drugs to consumers is likely to cause some patients to pursue certain medications that may be inappropriate for their individual health situation".

D) Physicians are not susceptible to pressure from patients in determining appropriate courses of treatment.

The concern is not that patients will be prescribed inappropriate medication, but that the patient will pursue inappropriate medication. The ability for Physicians to prevent patients from being prescribed or acquiring inappropriate medications does not prevent the concern that patients will "pursue certain medications that may be inappropriate". How is this the answer as it doesn't DIRECTLY address the concern.


E) Fewer than 15% of patients are likely to remember and ask by name for specific drugs that they see advertised in magazines or on television.

If most patients can't remember the medication that was advertised to them, this will reduce the amount of patients that "pursue certain medications that may be inappropriate". Bingo. Why is this not the answer??

can someone explain the question to me

Have you read the discussion above? I think the question is explained there. If you have specific doubts please post.

There's really no need to boil over this one. This is pretty straightforward.

Argument Logic - Basically, the Good Folks (Public health advocates) are just concerned that customers who have been targeted with advertisements can try and go for prescription drugs that aren't really suitable for their medical condition.

Answer Requirement - To find an option choice that helps satisfy the concerns of our Good folks.



Completely irrelevant - Has no bearing on our objective.



Opposite - This really doesn't help our case. actually owing to the ease of information, consumers might just be able to get their hands on such drugs.



Irrelevant - Yeah, so what? It is kind of implied already in the argument and this doesn't help our case.



Correct - Bam. This is what we are looking for. This casts doubts on the possibility of consumers being able to get their hands on this drug. This is what the Good Folks wanted.



Out of scope - Doesn't really help our cause. It's a pretty neutral statement.
So what if they do or don't remember? They still might or might not be able to get the drugs.

All in all, (D) makes the cut hands down.

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