Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine won approval Thursday from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Three other vaccines – Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca/Oxford, have also been given the go-ahead from the 27-nation European Union.
EMA head Emer Cooke said in a statement, “This is the first vaccine which can be used as a single dose. With this latest positive opinion, authorities across the European Union will have another option to combat the pandemic and protect the lives and health of their citizens,” he said.
Another advantage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is its storage requirement, which suffices with regular refrigeration. This makes the vaccine much easier to store and distribute in the United States and around the world.
The vaccine, developed by its Belgian subsidiary, Janssen, won emergency approval for adults ages 18 and up.