The cost of pharmaceutical drugs is continuing to be a rising issue in the world that has led to many wondering what causes these drugs to be so expensive and how can this issue be fixed. The pharmaceutical drug industry plays a major role in the world's economy. The cost of these drugs is continuing to skyrocket. The question that many people have in regards to these prices is why? Why do these drugs cost so much and what is the money actually paying for? Many people seem to have ideas about how to solve the problem of the high cost of pharmaceutical drugs. PBS Newshour released the article, "Why Some Prescription Drugs Are So Expensive" by Julie Appleby which gives some insight into how drug prices are set in the United States, along with some ideas that can be used to combat the high cost of these drugs.  In this article, Julie Appleby uses logos throughout to appeal to the logic of her readers; this is an effective strategy because she writes to the general pubic who have to deal with these high drug prices, thus they will respond more strongly to a list of facts and figures. In addition to her use of logos, Appleby uses kairos, understanding that the case against Turing Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company that has been under a lot of scrutiny the past few months, makes this a timely issue.

Julie Appleby introduces the article by discussing Turing Pharmaceuticals, a company that in just one month raised the price of an old generic drug, that treated parasitic infections, by more than 5,000 percent. She starts off the article by raising the question, "How, critics wondered, could a firm charge $13.50 a pill for a treatment for a parasitic infection one day and $750 the next?" (Appleby). This reference to Turing's drastic price increase immediately grabs the reader's attention because it is something that is happening in the world and one is able to see the facts that yes, this company did in fact raise the price of their drug a significant amount for no reason, which leads the reader to wonder how these drug prices are set. The reason that Appleby discusses Turing Pharmaceuticals in the beginning of this article is so that the article can relate to the rhetorical appeal of kairos, which refers to the timeliness. Starting off the article using kairos allows the reader to understand that the rising cost of pharmaceutical drugs isn't just something that could potentially happen in the future, but it is something that is occurring right now, as evidence from Turing.

Appleby discusses the pharmaceutical industry and how prescription drugs have become the fastest-growing segment of the nation's health care tab by explaining that 10 percent of the money spent of health care is accounted for by prescription drugs. Julie Appleby discusses three ideas that could be used to combat the high cost of pharmaceutical drugs which include: disclose drug development costs, cap consumer copayments, and pay up if the product delivers. Along with these three suggestions, Appleby incorporates the counterarguments of these suggestions by using the rhetorical appeal of logos which is a strategy of reason, logic, facts, or any type of argument which appeals to someone's rational side (Wright). Along with using logos, Appleby uses deductive reasoning throughout the course of this article to try and better enhance her her counterarguments of the three proposals that had been made to combat the high drug prices.

The first idea that was presented in this article was to disclose the developmental cost of drugs. This initially seems like a fair idea to the consumer. If the consumer is the one that has to pay the price for the drugs, shouldn't they know how much money is going into all of the research and development? Well, many economists believe that looking at the cost of research that goes into the drug should not ultimately justify its price. Through Appleby's use of deductive reasoning, it becomes evident to the reader that maybe this is not the best idea. According to Appleby, "Looking at a single drug produced by a company ignores the huge amounts spent on the other products that failed but still provided clues for the product that did succeed" (Appleby).  This statement allows the reader to make the interpretation that disclosing developmental drug costs may not be the wisest decision when it comes to lowering drug prices. Appleby also makes it evident that this method may in fact cause there to be more money spent on these drugs. "And, some economists say, such rules might simply foster more money spent on research that isn't needed" (Appleby). By taking into account these various statements, it allows the reader to see what could happen if pharmaceutical companies were require to disclose developmental drug costs and how this may not be the best idea.

 Another idea that Appleby discussed was to cap the copayments that consumers have to deal with. While there are some states out there that have laws that cap the amount that consumers have to pay for their drugs, the consumer must still pay for a portion of the drugs actual cost. "The pocketbook cost for patients is still high, ranging from $100 a month to $250, depending on the state" (Appleby). Appleby uses logos here to show that yes, there are these laws that are in place, people are still paying a pretty penny for their drugs. The factual information that is presented in this section of the article allows the reader to reach the conclusion that while creating laws to cap the cost that consumers have to pay out of their own pockets, this doesn't solve the issue of the still underlying high drug prices. According to the article, "Critics say in some cases, such rules may encourage greater use of costly drugs for which there are less expensive alternatives" (Appleby). As the reader, you are able to use deductive reasoning to see that while yes, these laws can be created so that the consumer doesn't have to pay for the full price of the drug, however; this doesn't solve the real issue of how these drugs are just entirely too expensive. 

The last idea that was put out there to try and solve this high drug cost issue was to pay more money if the drug is actually effective. This seems like a logical idea to the reader because if the drug works, then it should cost a little more than the drugs that don't, right? However, Appleby offers the counterargument of how do you know that it was the drug that was effective in treating the sickness? Maybe it was something else that caused the patient to start feeling better? Throughout this section of the article, logos is used in the form of facts to show the reader why this solution may not be the best. This section of the article discusses different cancer drugs and how the drug may work well on one type of cancer, but not the other. This allows you to see where there could be an issue when it comes to pricing. There is also an obstacle when it comes to seeing if it was the drug that was effective or some other form of treatment, hospitalization, etc. When reading this section of the article, it is evident through the logos that there are obstacles present when trying to use the "pay up if it delivers" method.

Appleby uses the rhetorical appeal of logos throughout these three ideas to show that while yes, these ideas could help to stop these constantly rising drug prices, there is another side to the argument that you must take into consideration. 

In order to make this article more effective, Appleby should have tried to incorporate more pathos. By incorporating pathos, she would be appealing to the reader at an emotional level and it would make them feel more invested in this issue. Many people may just read this article and think that this is just another issue out there that doesn't affect them in any way. Personally, high drug prices don't affect me because I am not the one that has to pay the, but by just using an example of someone who needs pharmaceutical drugs in their every day life and isn't able to afford them would immediately relate to the emotional appeal of the reader. Appleby could have started off this paper with a story of a child who wasn't able to take the drugs that were necessary because they were too expensive, or a story of a family who had to spend the majority of their income on the pharmaceutical drugs. I think that in order to better appeal to multiple readers, Appleby would have to incorporate a few different scenarios so that the reader could see that this is not just an issue that a few people are dealing with, but that this is an issue that a large population is dealing with. While using logos throughout this article adds to the credibility of the source, incorporating the appeal of pathos would make the argument of the high cost of pharmaceutical drugs even more effective at the reader's standpoint.

Throughout her article, Julie Appleby effectively uses logos throughout to appeal to the logical appeal of the readers. By incorporating the use of kairos to discuss Turing Pharmaceuticals, it allowed the reader to see that this is an ongoing issue and that it is very relevant today. By incorporating pathos, Appleby would have been able to enhance her argument and it would have had a much greater emotional appeal towards the readers. Overall, this article shows how prevalent of an issue the rising price of pharmaceutical drugs is and Appleby makes you realize that changing the high cost of these drugs is not going to be an easy fix.

