Swine flu review committee looking into industry links

May 19, 2010, 12:16 GMT

Geneva - The head of the committee reviewing the World Health Organization's handling of last year's swine flu pandemic said Wednesday he was looking into possible links to the medical industry.

'The committee is well aware that concerns have been expressed of the potential influence of industry on decision making at various advisory committees and the WHO more generally,' Harvey Fineberg, chairman of the panel, told reporters.

The WHO is in middle of its annual assembly, which brings together top health officials and ministers from most United Nations countries. One of the issues on the agenda is the A(H1N1) outbreak, commonly referred to as swine flu.

Fineberg, who heads Washington's Institute of Medicine, said his 29-member committee were still in the 'information gathering phrase' and any links to the pharmaceutical industry were yet unproven.

However, if some wrongdoings were to be discovered, Fineberg said his committee was assured the 'conclusions and recommendations will be a matter of public record.'

In carrying out its work, the review panel was looking at the decision making at the time using only information then available.

'What we want to avoid, as a committee, is applying what I call a mindless retrospective view,' Fineberg said, adding that he wanted to review from a prospective posture.

The review is expected to be concluded ahead of the next WHO assembly next year.

Fineberg has said his main objective is to learn lessons for the future, as science indicates the world will yet face more pandemics and health systems need to be prepared.

WHO chief Margaret Chan has repeatedly said she wants a 'a frank, critical, transparent, credible and independent review.'

There has some sharp criticism of the WHO over its handling of the pandemic.

Many questions have been raised about the panic caused by the virus, which turned out to be mild in nature and infected fewer people than had been predicted by the WHO in early estimates.

WHO officials have said they needed to sound alarm bells when the A(H1N1) virus started to spread, as no one could know at the time how the pandemic would turn out.

Questions have also been raised about vaccines and the ties of some WHO advisers to the pharmaceutical industry.

The H1N1 virus was first announced in April last year and is generally believed to have begun spreading in March in Mexico and the United States. The WHO declared the influenza a pandemic in June.

It has to date been responsible for over 17,500 deaths, though seasonal flu is estimate to kill over a quarter million people each year.