Pharmaceutical Companies # Practice Reading

Lately pharma (pharmaceutical companies collectively as a sector of industry)execs have been taking yet another volley (a number of bullets, arrows, or other projectiles discharged at one time)of criticism (the expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes)over drug-pricing practices from Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio—and plenty of others—without offering much in the way of a defense (the action of defending from or resisting attack). Now two CEOs say the industry—whose stocks tumbled (fall suddenly, clumsily, or headlong)on a Clinton tweet about ‘price gouging ( a large amount, as of money, exacted or extorted)’ and whose share prices have been ailing (in poor health)since July—is quietly formulating (express (an idea) in a concise or systematic way)its response plan.

When Biogen BIIB 0.84% CEO George Scangos was asked on a third quarter earnings (gain deservedly in return for one’s behaviour or achievements)call Tuesday about the industry’s relative silence on the subject of late, he predicted (say or estimate that (a specified thing) will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something)drug companies would soon weigh in. “Obviously, there has been a lot of rhetoric (the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques)recently,” Scangos said. “The industry is preparing a thoughtful presentation of a different perspective (a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view)on drug prices and the value that we bring to patients and the medical community.”

Eli Lilly LLY -0.19% CEO John Lechleiter offered a similar response when asked about the subject by an analyst (a person who conducts analysis)this morning, on an earnings call: “You can expect to see more coming from the industry,” he said, noting that the response needs to be well-calibrated (to determine, check, or rectify the graduation of (any instrument giving quantitative measurements)). “We have to be careful and thoughtful here. I don’t think there is a way you can spend enough money to all of a sudden change people’s mind.”

That said, Lechleiter believes it can be done. “We have a great story to tell,” he said. “If you look at the hepatitis space, the cancer space, diabetes—there are huge advances in recent years…I’ve never been as optimistic (disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome)about our chance to make a difference.” He added that the media focuses on examples of individual drug price hikes, it has overlooked the fact that expense of drugs as a proportion of healthcare spending has remained “remarkably constant” over the years. Moreover, drug companies, Lechleiter says, are mandated (a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative)by the government to provide “deep discounts”, and are increasingly under pressure to do so to get their medicines on formularies (a collection or systems of formulas)and to be able to compete for business. “We have more work to do, and you can expect to see more.”

Source – http://fortune.com/2015/10/22/big-pharma-wont-stay-silent-in-drug-pricing-debate-for-long/

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Common Expressions On Money

Money is a form of exchange between the services and you. So, if you want something, you need to give money and English has some expressions for Money. Let us have a look at some of the expressions related to money –

  1. Loaded- If you are loaded with money, it means you have lots of money. Example- I am loaded so I often buy gifts for me and my family.
  2. Make A Killing- Make a killing means to make a lot of money. Example- My brother made a killing working in the software company.
  3. Make Ends Meet- Make ends meet means to have enough money to may be pay your bills or just meet your requirements. Example- She is not rich but knows how to make ends meet.
  4. Hand To Mouth- Hand to mouth means you don’t have money to save. Example- Since I lost my job, I had to live hand to mouth.
  5. To pay an arm and leg- It means it is really expensive. Example- My new car cost me an arm and leg.
  6. Pinch Pennies- It means to be very careful about spending money. Example- My friend is a penny pincher.
  7. Put in your two cents – It means to give your opinion. Example- He always put his two cents in the class discussion.

So, express money properly and score high in IELTS.

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Student Queries # IELTS

When you have dreams, you also have questions, doubts and queries. Let us look at some of the questions asked by students frequently –

  1. Can I write in capital letter in the essay? Yes, you can. The rule changed a few time back and now it is perfectly fine to write essays in capital letters.
  2. Is writing task 2 same for both academic and general? Yes, they are, however you are checked on different things in  both cases.
  3. Do plural and singular form mistakes matter? Yes, they do. The examiner is there to check you on every correct and wrong thing you do. There are no big , small or medium mistakes. They are mistakes and that is it.
  4. Should I write numbers or figures in my writing task? You must write the figure, i.e. nine instead of 9, in the writing task. However, you can write the numeral in other tasks.
  5. Does accent matter? No it does not. You are being checked on your clarity and pronunciation and not accent.

So, go and give IELTS your best shot. Make sure you avoid silly mistakes, as they lead you nowhere except in trouble. Also, getting high band in IELTS is more about doing right things often than ignoring wrong things.

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IELTS Letter Tips

Getting a high band in IELTS is not just about knowing the right English, it is more than that. Let us have a look at what it is about –

  1. Answer The Entire Question Properly- Each IELTS letter consist of three parts, three bullets and you need to make sure that you have answer all the points completely in order to score well. Leaving any of the points, you can get penalized for task response. Also make sure that you elaborate on each of the point, this may mean you need to write more about one topic and less about another.
  2. Think About The Type Of Letter- There are four kinds of letters that can be asked in IELTS, and your response to it depends on the type of letter it is. So, if you are writing to a friend, you need to be a little more informal, but if writing to your head or some other authority, you need to be formal.
  3. Use Varied Grammar – There is a score in IELTS for writing varied form of grammar sentences, so no matter you are writing to a friend, make sure you use variety of grammar sentences.
  4. Plan It Right –  It is a good idea to know how you are going to write a letter, what you are going to write, how you are going to end it. So, get the answers to the above questions, before you start writing the letter.
  5. Word Limit- This is the most important thing, no matter how great your letter is, if it falls short of the work limit, even by a single word, you are going to lose marks and that is for sure.
  6. Punctuation And Spellings – It is always a good idea to use punctuation marks, but make sure that it is used correctly, also make sure that the spelling is right. You do lose marks on wrong spellings.

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