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Advertisement: For sinus pain, three out of four hospitals give their

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MartyTargetTestPrep

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29 May 2022, 22:57

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Elite097

GMATNinja MartyTargetTestPrep why not D?

The conclusion is "when you want the most effective painkiller for sinus pain, Novex is the one to choose."

Why would the fact that, as (D) says,"Novex is available from pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription," be a reason why Novex isn't the one to choose?

In fact, (D) could be a reason TO CHOOSE Novex since (B) indicates that Novex is easier to get than other such painkillers.

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29 May 2022, 23:03

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MartyTargetTestPrep no this chocie should be correct because it presents an alternte reason for why sales are high (because they are available and not because there are effective necessarily)

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Elite097

GMATNinja MartyTargetTestPrep why not D?

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30 May 2022, 00:29

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Elite097

MartyTargetTestPrep no this chocie should be correct because it presents an alternte reason for why sales are high (because they are available and not because there are effective necessarily)

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Elite097

GMATNinja MartyTargetTestPrep why not D?

An alternative reason is not the correct answer to every question.

In this case we have to cast doubt on the idea that Novex is the one to choose. In a way (D) does the opposite, by providing a reason to choose Novex.

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04 Jun 2022, 06:28

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Elite097

GMATNinja MartyTargetTestPrep why not D? ThatDudeKnows

The question asks us to undermine (weaken) the argument.

Conclusion: Novex is the most effective painkiller for sinus pain.
Premise: Hospitals use it.

(D) Tells us about availability, but the conclusion is about efficacy. If Novex is available everywhere, that doesn't tell us anything about whether it works. If it's only available from a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow, that doesn't tell us anything about whether it works. Either way, we haven't done anything to undermine the argument.

FWIW, I wouldn't like D even if the question were to strengthen the argument, but if I had to bucket D into whether it strengthens or weakens, I'd certainly choose strengthen. Be careful that you are paying close attention to what the question asks!

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GMATNinja KarishmaB

(B) Many hospitals that do not usually use Novex will do so for those patients who cannot tolerate the drug the hospitals usually use.
B doesn't tell us anything about effectiveness of Novex but it suggests an alternate reason why Novex is used in the hospitals. It suggests that may be Novex is used bcz few patients can't tolerate other painkiller not bcz it is effective.

Why the above logic is incorrect?

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27 Sep 2022, 23:24

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Sneha2021

Note the language of the argument:
For sinus pain, three out of four hospitals give their patients Novex.

This is what happens currently. For sinus pain, 75% hospitals give Novex (which means they usually give Novex for sinus pain)
Many hospitals that do not usually use Novex (perhaps the other 25%), will (in future) use it for patients who cannot tolerate other drugs (so Novex perhaps is well tolerated)
Does it weaken our conclusion? It doesn't impact the 'effectiveness' one way or the other.

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20 May 2023, 02:54

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To identify the option that most seriously undermines the advertisement's argument, let's evaluate each option:

(A) Some competing brands of painkillers are intended to reduce other kinds of pain in addition to sinus pain.
This option provides information about other painkillers, but it does not directly undermine the effectiveness of Novex for sinus pain. It does not weaken the argument made in the advertisement.

(B) Many hospitals that do not usually use Novex will do so for those patients who cannot tolerate the drug the hospitals usually use.
This option suggests that hospitals may only use Novex as an alternative when their preferred drug is not suitable for certain patients. While it may indicate some benefits of Novex, it does not seriously undermine the argument that Novex is the most effective painkiller for sinus pain.

(C) Many drug manufacturers increase sales of their products to hospitals by selling these products to the hospitals at the lowest price the manufacturers can afford.
This option weakens the advertisement's argument. It suggests that the reason three out of four hospitals give Novex to their patients may be due to its affordability rather than its effectiveness. This undermines the claim that Novex is the most effective painkiller for sinus pain.

(D) Unlike some competing brands of painkillers, Novex is available from pharmacies without a doctor's prescription.
This option provides information about the availability of Novex without a prescription, but it does not directly impact the argument regarding its effectiveness for sinus pain. It does not seriously undermine the advertisement's claim.

(E) In clinical trials, Novex has been found more effective than competing brands of painkillers that have been on the market longer than Novex.
This option strengthens the argument in the advertisement. It supports the claim that Novex is more effective than competing brands of painkillers, which bolsters the argument that Novex is the most effective painkiller for sinus pain.

In conclusion, the option that most seriously undermines the advertisement's argument is C

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23 Jun 2023, 08:46

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Hello experts

I understand option C provides the point that the drug is cheaper to buy, hence more profitable to sale. But if we consider option D, if the drug does not require a doctor's prescription, then most of the hospitals can easily recommend this drug to the patients.
However, there is another assumption here that we need to consider. The other drugs do need a doctor's prescription and hence, those are are difficult to get.
Is this the reason option D was eliminated ?

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23 Jun 2023, 08:56

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anish777

The issue with (D) is that it's about a different way to get painkiller: "from pharmacies."

Notice that the support for the conclusion is not about what hospitals "recommend," as you said. Rather, it's about what hospitals "give" directly to their patients. So, what's involved in getting drugs from pharmacies is not part of the situation mentioned and thus does not affect the support for the conclusion of this argument.

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11 Nov 2023, 08:04

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Answer should be C

manufacturers sell at low cost
Hospitals buy more of these medicines
hence doctors are forced to prescribe more of these medicines to patients even though they may not be effective

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03 Dec 2023, 12:03

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Conclusion: Novex is the most effective.
Evidence: Three out of four hospitals use Novex.

(B) Many hospitals that do not usually use Novex will do so for those patients who cannot tolerate the drug the hospitals usually use.
Many hospitals, no matter how unwillingly to use Novex at first, finally give some patients this drug, a fact suggesting that these hospitals belong the category of three out of four. If that is the way to achieve Novex appearing on the list of majority hospitals—the fact used in the ad as evidence supporting the conclusion, we're standing on the solid ground that this glittering number, though true, is misleading, as many ads do in reality, and should be questioned.

(C) Many drug manufacturers increase sales of their products to hospitals by selling these products to the hospitals at the lowest price the manufacturers can afford.
Any drug manufacturers can sell their products at the lowest price they can afford, if this price war works. Then we have two different scenarios:
1. Novex is cheaper than competing brands. Yes, it helps explain that three out of four hospitals use Novex not because of its effectiveness. Price matters.
2. Competing brands are cheaper than Novex. Why hospitals choose Novex without considering the price, when so many cheaper alternatives are available. The price doesn't matter anymore, or is it because Novex is more effective?
So, option (C) is flawed.

This question was retired long ago for some reasons.

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27 Nov 2024, 02:05

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onedayill

IMO C.

The reason that Novex is so popular has to do with something other than its effectiveness? I immediately thought low cost and low and behold, it was one of the answers.

A --out of scope
B --tells us nothing about its effectiveness...tolerance is out of scope
C --Weakens argument
D --so what
E --this supports not undermines the argument

Bro even C doesnt talk anything about its effectiveness and even manufacturing is out of scope in that sense and it doesnt even talk about novex in the first place.

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21 Oct 2025, 08:08

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[*](A) Some competing brands... reduce other kinds of pain... competing brands is irrelevant.- OUT

(B) Many hospitals that do not usually use Novex will do so for... patients who cannot tolerate the... usual drug. This talks about the 1/4 of hospitals that don't primarily use Novex. It doesn't explain why the 3/4 do use it, so it doesn't weaken the argument. Also if patients prefer Novex then in a way it indeed is one of the most effective drugs- OUT

[*](C) Many drug manufacturers increase sales... by selling... at the lowest price... This is the correct answer. It provides a strong alternative reason for why hospitals use Novex. They might not be choosing it because it's the "most effective," but because it's the cheapest option offered by the manufacturer. This directly attacks the assumption that "hospital use = effectiveness."

[*](D) ...Novex is available... without a doctor’s prescription. This is about consumer availability (over-the-counter). It has no bearing on why a hospital, which handles prescriptions all the time, would choose to administer it to its patients.- OUT

[*](E) In clinical trials Novex has been found more effective... This strengthens the argument- OUT

achan

Advertisement: For sinus pain, three out of four hospitals give their patients Novex. So when you want the most effective painkiller for sinus pain, Novex is the one to choose.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the advertisement’s argument?

(A) Some competing brands of painkillers are intended to reduce other kinds of pain in addition to sinus pain.

(B) Many hospitals that do not usually use Novex will do so for those patients who cannot tolerate the drug the hospitals usually use.

(C) Many drug manufacturers increase sales of their products to hospitals by selling these products to the hospitals at the lowest price the manufacturers can afford.

(D) Unlike some competing brands of painkillers, Novex is available from pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription.

(E) In clinical trials Novex has been found more effective than competing brands of painkillers that have been on the market longer than Novex.

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21 Oct 2025, 12:54

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BUt we also dont know the price of Most effective one. What if the most effective one is even cheaper than those which the hospital are accepting at lower costs? Since you said hospitals are going for a cheaper options then it will go to the Most effective one. We dont know anything about the pricing of Most effective drug so how can we compare the pricing of Novex and the most effective drug on this basis?

GMATNinja

All we know from (B) is that the hospitals that do NOT usually use Novex will use Novex occasionally. Sure, it is possible that the drug normally used by those hospitals is more effective, but we don't know that. Consider the following scenario:

The hospitals referred to in choice (B)--those that do not usually use Novex--normally use Drug X, which is slightly less effective than Novex but MUCH cheaper.
Sometimes, their patients cannot tolerate Drug X, so these hospitals must use Novex.
Novex is still the most effective option, so choice (B) does not necessarily undermine the advertisement's argument.

In other words, maybe Novex IS the most effective painkiller and these hospitals normally use another, cheaper option. In order for (B) to weaken the argument, you have to assume that there is another, more effective option. But (B) does not suggest that such an option exists. Eliminate (B).

Just because three out of four hospitals give their patients Novex, does that mean that Novex is the most EFFECTIVE painkiller? Maybe there is another painkiller that is a bit more effective, but since Novex is much cheaper, the hospitals go with the cheaper option.

Choice (C) fits with this scenario. Drug manufacturers encourage hospitals to buy Novex by selling it at very low prices. Sure, this doesn't PROVE that a more effective option exists, but it certainly suggests that the hospitals might purchase Novex because it is cheap, not necessarily because it is the most effective option.

In other words, (C) provides an alternate explanation for the data cited in the ad and, thus, seriously undermines the advertisement’s argument. (C) is the best answer.

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23 Oct 2025, 14:31

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mkeshri185

We aren't looking for an answer choice that DISPROVES the argument. We're only looking for something that weakens the author's argument.

Even if (C) is true, it is certainly still possible that (1) Novex costs more than several competing brands and that (2) hospitals are willing to pay the extra money because they think Novex is more effective than the competition. So even if (C) is true, Novex could very well be the most effective painkiller for sinus pain.

But (C) opens the door to another possibility: maybe more effective alternatives exist, but hospitals go with Novex because it's cheaper (and perhaps ALMOST as effective as the more expensive options). Some or all of the hospitals might base their drug selection more on cost than on effectiveness.

Does that disprove the argument? No, but it suggests that hospital usage is not necessarily reliable evidence when it comes to effectiveness. So the "three out of four" statistic cited by the advertisement isn't enough to conclude that Novex is the most effective option. It still could be, but, if (C) is true, the given statistic isn't evidence one way or the other.

I hope that helps!

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