[問題]OG-129

[josephcfan]

129. The pharmaceutical industry argues that because new drugs will not be developed unless heavy development costs can be recouped in later sales, the current 20 years of protection provided by patents should be extended in the case of newly developed drugs. However, in other industries new-product development continues despite high development costs, a fact that indicates that the extension is
unnecessary.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the pharmaceutical industry's argument against the challenge made above?

(A) No industries other than the pharmaceutical industry have asked for an extension of the 20-year limit on patent protection.

(B) Clinical trials of new drugs, which occur after the patent is granted and before the new drug can be marketed, often now take as long as 10 years to complete.

(C) There are several industries in which the ratio of research and development costs to revenues is higher than it is in the pharmaceutical industry.

(D) An existing patent for a drug does not legally prevent pharmaceutical companies from bringing to market alternative drugs, provided they are sufficiently dissimilar to the patented drug.

(E) Much recent industrial innovation has occurred in products---for example, in the computer and electronics industries---for which patent protection is often very ineffective.

小弟我對選項（D）逗號開始之後讀不太懂且對此句之句型有所疑問,煩請各位大熊幫我指導一下吧！！

[Calvin]

provided=provided that or providing that....

used to say that s'th will only be possible, if s'th else happens or is done.

也就是only if 的意思

這樣子，你應該可以了解D的句意了

[chris8888]

OG11th-116(橘本). The pharmaceutical industry argues that because new drugs will not be developed unless heavy development costs can be recouped in later sales, the current 20 years of protection provided by patents should be extended in the case of newly developed drugs. However, in other industries new-product development continues despite high development costs, a fact that indicates that the extension is
unnecessary.
簡單說 : 農藥化學公司認為要延展20年的專利期, 其他產業認為不用

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the pharmaceutical industry's argument against the challenge made above?
找一個可以支持農藥化學的公司, 支持他們認為確有必要擴展專利期限

(A) No industries other than the pharmaceutical industry have asked for an extension of the 20-year limit on patent protection.
除了農藥化學公司沒有其他公司要求擴展 (不要談其他公司)
(main argument : 支持他們認為確有必要擴展專利期限)
(B) Clinical trials of new drugs, which occur after the patent is granted and before the new drug can be marketed, often now take as long as 10 years to complete.
20年的專利期限, 光是新藥的臨床實驗就吃掉10年, 當然會怕 can't recoup囉, 所要要extention.
(main argument : 支持他們認為確有必要擴展專利期限)
(C) There are several industries in which the ratio of research and development costs to revenues is higher than it is in the pharmaceutical industry.
產業的研究開發成本的比例相比不是重點
(main argument : 支持他們認為確有必要擴展專利期限)
(D) An existing patent for a drug does not legally prevent pharmaceutical companies from bringing to market alternative drugs, provided they are sufficiently dissimilar to the patented drug.
已經存在的藥品與替代性的藥品是否違法專利權, 或者他們有足夠的差異性來區隔並非重點
(main argument : 支持他們認為確有必要擴展專利期限)
(E) Much recent industrial innovation has occurred in products---for example, in the computer and electronics industries---for which patent protection is often very ineffective.
電子產業或其他產業的創新不要談, 離題
(main argument : 支持他們認為確有必要擴展專利期限)