A pharmaceutical was tested for its effectiveness in treating a viral infection - HSC - SSCE Biology - Question 15 - 2023 - Paper 1

From the graph presented, which indicates a comparison between patients treated with the pharmaceutical and those not treated, we observe the following:

• The line representing patients treated with the pharmaceutical shows a gradual decrease in symptom severity over the days, starting from around 10 on day 0 to approximately 3 by day 12.
• Conversely, the line for patients not treated with the pharmaceutical also shows a decrease in severity, but at a less rapid rate, stabilizing around a severity score of 7.

These observations suggest that the pharmaceutical does indeed have an effect on reducing symptom severity compared to those not treated. However, the marked difference in the final values, as well as the comparative rate of decline, indicates that while the drug may reduce symptoms, it may not be as effective as intended. Therefore, the most accurate conclusion based on the options provided is:

B. The pharmaceutical tested did not reduce the severity of symptoms. This conclusion emphasizes that, while there was a reduction, it did not lead to a significantly lower severity than untreated patients.