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Novex

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by reachac » Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:25 am
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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by niraj_a » Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:32 am
B or C,

and I pick B.
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by newera » Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:38 am
I'm going with C.

Stimulus assumes that Novex is used by most hospitals because of its effective painkilling properties. Since this is a weakness question, we have to find an answer choice that will make us question this. What if 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
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by raunekk » Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:40 am
i will go with c..

In weaking questions maximum number of times the answer choice is an alternate reason for the action to take place..

Here, think what could be the other reason for the extensive use of Novex..
1. either it is of better quality or more effective.
2. it could be cheaper than other medicines of the same category.

C tells us that..manufactures sell it at a cheaper rate..so maximum hospitals use it..

i hope tis will help...
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by niraj_a » Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:15 am
OA?
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by suchit » Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:34 pm
C is my pick ... whats the answer ?
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by event_horizon » Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:42 am
il go with C too.
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by lvincy » Tue Jul 01, 2008 1:15 pm
I will also pick C
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by john1234 » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:05 pm
I will go with. B.
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by Aldiablo » Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:18 pm
Tough choice between B and C.

If one has to be discarded, I will discard C...
because if a medicine is cheap that is not necessarily less effective.

But by telling that hospital usually prefer other medicines to tolerant patients indicate more that those medicines are more effective if side-effects can be tolerated.
When you think you can or you cannot, you are generally correct.
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by ArunTangri » Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:27 pm
Strangely, the answer given to this question is 'D'. But I would go with the choice B (and not C).

It might be true that the manufacturers sell their medicines to the hospital at the lowest possible rates but:

Is that true for Novex?
Even if Novex guys sell it at the lowest rates that they could offer, is it still cheaper than the other medicines for sinus pain?

This means that Novex CAN actually be the most effective medicines. So, this eliminates the option C.

Whereas, what if a population isn't capable to take the high dosage of some other drug? Hospital will then have to switch to Novex even though that might NOT be the most effective medicine.

Hence, the answer option would be B.
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by mals24 » Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:51 am
The OA is C
This is a question from OG 11 #10.
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by ArunTangri » Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:25 am
Great!!! Read OG's explanation...

although they were a bit harsh to say "This point does not undermine the advertisement's claim." which I considered as an answer :D but I guess it's important to understand their line of thinking here than arguing against it :shock: .. so, point taken :)
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by nitin86 » Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:56 pm
raunekk wrote:i will go with c..

In weaking questions maximum number of times the answer choice is an alternate reason for the action to take place..

Here, think what could be the other reason for the extensive use of Novex..
1. either it is of better quality or more effective.
2. it could be cheaper than other medicines of the same category.

C tells us that..manufactures sell it at a cheaper rate..so maximum hospitals use it..

i hope tis will help...
To add to this, i think in weaken/strenghten CR, in addition to conclusion we should look at the evidence.....i.e Conclusion should be weaken/strengthen in light of available evidences rather than stand alone

So, if think with evidence in mind, IMO C
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No way

by santa_dem » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:08 pm
There is no way the OA is C. The question is from diagnostic test OG#11. I remember it. I don't have the book with me, but I'm almost sure OA was B.

C doesn't make any sense. It says many manufacturers. This does not necesarily include NOVEX. It may not include Novex, but all the competition, which actually strenghtens the advertisment, because even though competition is cheaper, NOVEX is better sold.

B on the other hand says that hospitals do not necesarily use NOVEX because it is the most effective, but because it is the most tolerable, which denies the advertisement.

Are you sure OA is C?????
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