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Does anyone else see a potential for conflict of interest here?

According to articles found on the web, the National MS Society (based in the United States) owns a subsidiary that appears to function as a venture capital company, investing in drug start up companies and receiving royalties from drugs that make it to market.

Here's one article:

http://www.allbusiness.com/medicine-hea ... 687-1.html

Here's the website for the MS Society subsidiary, which is called "Fast Forward".

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/fast-f ... index.aspx

Here's one of several articles on the MS Society's Fast Forward website:

"MS Society teams with Merck KGaA on $19M R&D pact"

http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/ms-s ... 2009-03-18

And here's a quote from an article about NMSS's Fast Forward (linked to below) that I found on the web:

"Fast Forward takes a venture capital-like approach to research collaborations"

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/fast-f ... x?id=19232

even "Blind Freddie" could see there's a conflict of interest there.

Hwebb;

I'm as suspicious as the next bloke, but this is not uncommon practice. The societies take an interest in the drugs so that they can fund more research - otherwise the drug companies would see no money going back into competing research. If pro-CCSVIers get board control someday, these profits will help fund ccsvi randomized trials.
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Wow! I shouldn't be surprised by this but I am. I always felt that the NMSS and the pharmaceutical companies were in bed with each other, but now it's out in the open. Investing in new drug "treatments"? Aren't there enough drug "treatments" out there that don't guarantee anything except profits for the companies that make them? Another treatment? What will this next one do? I'm tired of neurologists and their "treatments".

How about a wholly owned subsidiary that does something really worthwhile, like researching a cure ? But that wouldn't be in their best interest, would it?