Advertising deals can be tricky. Just look at the situation involving Johns Hopkins Medicine, a health organization affiliated with the famous medical school, and the Cosmedicine line of skincare
products. Hopkins has come under fire from critics for forming a financial relationship in which a retailer can use the Hopkins name in advertising skin-care products. However, Hopkins claims it is
not endorsing the line, which can be purchased in Sephora retail outlets. "Hopkins says they're not endorsing the product, but they are; I don't care what they say," said Mildred Cho, associate
director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. "What is the consumer supposed to take away from the fact that Hopkins' name is attached to this product?" The terms of the agreement between
Hopkins and Klinger Advanced Aesthetics, developer of Cosmedicine, were not disclosed. But the relationship is promoted on Sephora's Web site and marketing materials. The agreement is part of a trend
in which academic medical institutions increasingly look to the private sector to help pay for their research and medical missions. For the most part, that revenue comes from companies that license
the discoveries of academic scientists as a means of developing drugs or medical devices.
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