full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Priti Krishtel: Why are drug prices so high? Investigating the outdated US patent system

Unscramble the Blue Letters


(Laughter)

I got so many emojis back, you would have thought I had met Beyoncé.

(Laughter)

But turth be told, I was actually there to talk about a problem — how our outtdaed patent system is fueling the high cost of medicines and cstnoig lives. Today, over two billion ppolee live without acsecs to medicines. And against this global crisis, drug piercs are skyrocketing, including in wealthier ciourtens. Thirty-four million Americans have lost a family member or a friend in the last five years, not because the treatment didn't exist, but because they couldn't aofrfd it. Rising drug costs are pushing families into homelessness, seniors into bankruptcy and pntreas to cuwronfdndig treatment for their critically ill children. There are many reasons for this crisis, but one is the outdated patent system that America tries to export to the rest of the world.

Open Cloze


(Laughter)

I got so many emojis back, you would have thought I had met Beyoncé.

(Laughter)

But _____ be told, I was actually there to talk about a problem — how our ________ patent system is fueling the high cost of medicines and _______ lives. Today, over two billion ______ live without ______ to medicines. And against this global crisis, drug ______ are skyrocketing, including in wealthier _________. Thirty-four million Americans have lost a family member or a friend in the last five years, not because the treatment didn't exist, but because they couldn't ______ it. Rising drug costs are pushing families into homelessness, seniors into bankruptcy and _______ to ____________ treatment for their critically ill children. There are many reasons for this crisis, but one is the outdated patent system that America tries to export to the rest of the world.

Solution


  1. parents
  2. access
  3. outdated
  4. people
  5. countries
  6. crowdfunding
  7. truth
  8. afford
  9. prices
  10. costing

Original Text


(Laughter)

I got so many emojis back, you would have thought I had met Beyoncé.

(Laughter)

But truth be told, I was actually there to talk about a problem — how our outdated patent system is fueling the high cost of medicines and costing lives. Today, over two billion people live without access to medicines. And against this global crisis, drug prices are skyrocketing, including in wealthier countries. Thirty-four million Americans have lost a family member or a friend in the last five years, not because the treatment didn't exist, but because they couldn't afford it. Rising drug costs are pushing families into homelessness, seniors into bankruptcy and parents to crowdfunding treatment for their critically ill children. There are many reasons for this crisis, but one is the outdated patent system that America tries to export to the rest of the world.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
patent office 8
patent system 8
outdated patent 2
rising drug 2
drug patents 2
patent wall 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
outdated patent system 2

Important Words


  1. access
  2. afford
  3. america
  4. americans
  5. bankruptcy
  6. beyoncé
  7. billion
  8. children
  9. cost
  10. costing
  11. costs
  12. countries
  13. crisis
  14. critically
  15. crowdfunding
  16. drug
  17. emojis
  18. exist
  19. export
  20. families
  21. family
  22. friend
  23. fueling
  24. global
  25. high
  26. homelessness
  27. ill
  28. including
  29. laughter
  30. live
  31. lives
  32. lost
  33. medicines
  34. member
  35. met
  36. million
  37. outdated
  38. parents
  39. patent
  40. people
  41. prices
  42. problem
  43. pushing
  44. reasons
  45. rest
  46. rising
  47. seniors
  48. skyrocketing
  49. system
  50. talk
  51. thought
  52. today
  53. told
  54. treatment
  55. truth
  56. wealthier
  57. world
  58. years