Covid-19: European regulator gives green light to Johnson & Johnson vaccine

"With this last positive opinion, the authorities of the European Union have an additional tool to fight against the pandemic and protect the life and health of their citizens", declared the director of the European Medicines Agency.

This fourth vaccine authorized in the EU is the first to require only one injection. 

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday gave the green light for Johnson & Johnson's single-injection Covid-19 vaccine, the fourth authorized in the European Union. 

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The move is a boost to the EU's vaccination program, which has been criticized for being slow, although various sources indicate that the first doses of Johnson & Johnson may not arrive in European countries until April.

"With this latest positive opinion, the authorities of the European Union have an additional tool to fight against the pandemic and protect the life and health of their citizens", said the director of the EMA Emer Cooke, quoted in a statement, adding that it is the "first vaccine that can be used in a single dose".

The fourth vaccine authorized in the EU

The American pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson had filed on February 16 a request for approval of the vaccine, developed by Janssen, a subsidiary of the group in Europe.

Before its green light for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency had already approved three vaccines: those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford.

Three other vaccines are under "continuous review" with the EMA: Novavax, CureVac and the Russian Spoutnik V. 

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One injection

Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is the first to receive a green light in the European Union to require only one injection instead of two, in addition to being considered easier to store.

The injection of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, however, appears to be less effective than those of Pfizer and Moderna, both of which show about 95% effectiveness against all variants of Covid-19.