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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Lorne Cook

EU chief's texts to a pharma boss during pandemic were likely erased, the NYT reports

European Union Pandemic Ursula von der Leyen European Commission Albert Bourla Donald Trump Covid-19
Trump Scotland - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Text messages exchanged between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic were seen by her top adviser and have likely been destroyed, the New York Times reported Friday.

Von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla exchanged the messages as COVID-19 ravaged European communities from Portugal to Finland and the EU scrambled to buy millions of hard to find vaccines. She was under intense scrutiny to deliver.

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