A nurse in Colorado draws a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is already in use in the U.S.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images
BRUSSELS—The single-shot Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson was cleared for use by the European Union’s drug agency on Thursday, but the regulator’s approval appears unlikely to immediately accelerate Europe’s lagging vaccine rollout.
The European Medicines Agency said that the J&J vaccine is safe and effective against Covid-19, paving the way for EU authorities to formally authorize its use later Thursday. Distribution is set to begin in the second quarter.
The EMA’s decision to recommend authorization of the J&J vaccine follows U.S. approval late last month.
The J&J vaccine has the potential to significantly bolster vaccination drives over time. It can be kept in refrigerators instead of freezers, making it easier to store and distribute than some vaccines already approved, and recipients need only one dose rather than the two administered for other vaccines, often many weeks apart.
(More to come.)
Write to Laurence Norman at [email protected]
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