The World Health Organization (WHO) refused to exaggerate the dangers of the H1N1 flu virus under the undue influence by drugs companies.

Multi-million dollar vaccination contracts were taken up by pharmaceutical firms when the United Nations health agency declared the flu a pandemic last June.

A huge number of people around the globe have been infected with H1N1, and many more have died, the pandemic proved less fearsome than health experts had originally anticipated.

Some politicians and media have accused the WHO of depending too much on the advice from experts in the pay of pharmaceutical industry. As a result of these accusations an internal review by the WHO and an inquiry by the Council of Europe have been initiated.

Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s leading flu expert, informed a hearing at the Council of Europe that despite the response of the organization to the virus not being perfect, it hasn’t been pushed into taking wrong decisions by pharmaceutical giants.

Fukuda told the Strasbourg based body, “Let me state clearly for the record, that the influenza pandemic policies and responses, recommended and taken by WHO were not improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.”