Via Health Care Renewal, Johns Hopkins is starting a new venture:
The Baltimore Sun and the Wall Street Journal reported (the latter available here via the Pittsburg Post-Gazette) the latest venture by the revered Johns Hopkins University. They are collaborating with a cosmetic company whose products will be labeled as produced "in consultation with Johns Hopkins Medicine."
The Cosmedicine "premium skin-care line," per the Journal, will be sold by Sephora, a unit of LVMH Moet Hennesy Louis Vuitton, and manufactured by Klinger Advanced Aesthetics, a unit of TrueYou.com Inc. According to Dr Edward Miller, Chief Executive of Johns Hopkins Medicine and Dean of the School of Medicine (and also on the board of directors of Bradmer Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian biotechnology company), "We have been pretty clear about our role. We are reporting on the scientific validity of studies done by outside testing agencies." But, according to the Journal, "Johns Hopkins will also work with Klinger to develop clinical 'best practices for the company's chain of spa-clinics." Their offerings include "'light medical' services, such as Botox and Restylane shots...."
The Cosmedicine web-page proclaims, "Cosmedicine, the only skincare line tested for performance and safety in clinical studies designed and analyzed in consultation with Johns Hopkins Medicine, a world leader in healthcare, education, and research."
For those of you outside Sephora's 13-25 y.o. female target audience, it's a large expensive cosmetics chain that's quite popular. Mostly they carry a bunch of sparkly eye shadows and lipsticks, but apparently they're moving on to "age-defying" cosmetics.
But I'm quite troubled that Johns Hopkins, a world renowed academic institution (and arguably the best med school in the U.S.), a top-notch treatment center (anyone remember ABC's "Hopkins 24/7" series from about six years ago?), is partnering with Sephora, aka the home for all things sparkly and cosmetic-y for young women.
Should there be a differentiation between the institutions that perfect life-saving techniques and disease management with those who perfect cosmetic treatments?
Aren't those different goals?
More than that; it's not just the testing and "approving" of cosmetic products, it's the promoting and profit sharing. What's the logical extension of this? Johns Hopkins approved medical devices?
I think that sounds like a great idea.
Posted by: Adrienne | April 10, 2006 at 03:54 PM