Some scholars claim that the reason Traditional Chinese Medicines are not prescribed as drugs in U.S. by licensed physicians is that there are questions about the medical effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicines. However, no drug can be put on the market in U.S. until the drug has FDA approval for medicinal use in well-defined illnesses or conditions. The cost to obtain such FDA approval reaches $800 million on average for a drug candidate, and only a patent owner of the new drug can make a profit after getting the approval. Unfortunately most Traditional Chinese Medicines and their medicinal uses cannot be patented in U.S. Therefore, under the current U.S. system licensed physicians cannot recommend the medicinal use of Traditional Chinese Medicines.
The argument depends on assuming which one of the following?
(A) The medical ineffectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicines as treatments for well-defined illnesses or conditions has been proven. (B) The only time a chemical substance is properly used as a drug in U.S. is when the chemical substance is prescribed as a drug by a licensed physician. (C) A licensed physician in U.S. cannot recommend the medicinal use of a Traditional Chinese Medicine unless that Traditional Chinese Medicine is offered for sale as a drug. (D) Some other chemical substances, besides Traditional Chinese Medicines, are not available as drugs because although these chemical substance can effectively treat an illness, the profit they might generate would not cover the cost involved in the treatment. (E) The cost of medical treatments would be greatly reduced if more efficient ways of obtaining FDA approval for new drug candidates could be found.
Could you explain your reasons for choosing B as the answer? It might be helpful if you could list the premises and conclusion of the argument first. Thanks!
The premises: 1) No drug can be put on the market in U.S. until the drug has FDA approval for medicinal use. Drug on the market for sale --> Drug has FDA approval 2) FDA approval process is so expensive that only a patent owner can afford it Drug has FDA approval --> Drug is patented 3) TCM is not patented
The conclusion: Licensed physicians cannot recommend the medicinal use of Traditional Chinese Medicines.
Premise #3 starts a contrapositive chain reaction from #3 --> #2 --> #1 : TCM is not patented --> TCM has no FDA approval --> TCM is not a drug on the market for sale. Then we look at the conclusion that doctors cannot recommand medical use of TCM. The gap of the argument is obviously between the doctor's recommendation and TCM's failure to be become a drug on the market for sale. Answer choice C fits the bill.
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发表于 2010-11-28 11:25:40
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