News Release

This is a statement from William R. Brody, president of The Johns Hopkins University, and Edward D. Miller, dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Johns Hopkins Medicine entered into a consulting relationship with Klinger Advanced Aesthetics to provide expertise on the design and review of tests intended to produce accurate and trustworthy product statements related to health and safety.

Johns Hopkins Medicine suggested testing methods and reviewed the results of studies for the company, but did not and does not endorse the company's products. We would consider an endorsement inconsistent with Johns Hopkins' mission.

Johns Hopkins Medicine has consistently, forthrightly and transparently disclosed the full scope of its role. Nevertheless, it has become clear that Johns Hopkins' involvement has been publicly perceived as an endorsement. That perception has led some to wonder, openly, whether we have allowed financial considerations to overcome longstanding policy separating our work from even the appearance of commercial influence.

We can assure you: That is absolutely not the case. At Johns Hopkins, truth, independence and integrity are fundamental to our culture and our academic mission. There is nothing more valuable to Johns Hopkins than the trust we have earned from the public based on careful adherence to those values.

We have, therefore, taken the following steps:

• We have informed Klinger Advanced Aesthetics that Johns Hopkins Medicine will not take the equity in KAA that had been envisioned as partial compensation for its consulting services. Standard fees for consulting on health-related matters will continue.

• We have informed Klinger Advanced Aesthetics that Johns Hopkins Medicine will not take a seat on KAA's board of directors.

• We have taken steps to further clarify for consumers that Johns Hopkins Medicine's assistance with developing tests conducted by independent third parties for Klinger Advanced Aesthetics' products, as well as KAA's references to Johns Hopkins’ role and the test data, do not constitute an endorsement by Johns Hopkins Medicine. We have done this with KAA's full cooperation and agreement. Specifically, KAA and the stores that distribute its products have agreed to withdraw all references to JHM except for certain limited information -- on product packages and in previously printed promotional material -- that disclose JHM's consulting role.

Because we want to ensure that the public never has any reason to question Johns Hopkins' objectivity and credibility, Johns Hopkins leadership has set in motion a review of institutional policies and processes related to business relationships. The goal is to establish a clear, consistent, comprehensive, university-wide set of principles and criteria for evaluating proposed relationships, especially proposals that envision the use of the Johns Hopkins name. The university has asked Stephen D. Potts, chairman of the board of the Ethics Resource Center and former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, to lead this review. He has agreed.