Please rate my essay #2

Hello guys, please rate my analysis of this argument from the OG:

The following appeared in an article in a consumer-products magazine:

“Two of today’s best-selling brands of full-strength prescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid, Acid-Ease and Pepticaid, are now available in milder nonprescription forms. Doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. So people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should choose Acid-Ease.”

Analysis:

The author states that people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should choose Acid-Ease. He bases this conclusion on the fact that doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. However this argument has several major unstated assumptions and draws a faulty yet strong conclusion from inadequate premises.

First, the author assumes that just because doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions of Acid Ease it proves that this medication is much more effective at controlling excessive stomach acid levels. This simply might not be the case and presents a major flaw in the argument. It could be that as a result of better advertising or outreach, doctors are much more likely to suggest Acid Ease as a medication. Furthermore, it could be that doctors suggest Acid Ease to patients as it is a much more commonly found medicine whereas Pepticaid might not be easily available in the local pharmacies. All these points, if true, could suggest alternate reasons for why doctors would prescribe Acid Ease as compared to Pepticaid, none of which have to do with better performance of the medication.

Secondly, the author assumes that just because the full strength Acid Ease is effective, so too will the mild version be effective. This simply might not be true as some drugs at lower concentrations may not produce the same effects as they do at higher doses. Whereas, the compounds within Pepticaid might work better at lower doses.

However, the author could strengthen the conclusion by providing details as to the effectiveness of the Non prescription acid ease vs the non prescription pepticaid as this would better exemplify the differences between the two. Furthermore, the author could also specify that doctors prescribe Acid Ease more often as a result of its better performance and thereby eliminate the possibility of it being due to some other reason. In conclusion, the author makes a very strong conclusion based on very weak premises making several unstated assumptions in the process.Therefore, in its current form, the argument is flawed.

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Thanks,
K