The J&J vaccine, developed by Belgium-based Janssen pharmaceuticals, is the fourth vaccine officially receiving green light from the European Union’s drug regulator, following vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. However, contrary to these three, the J&J jab only requires one single dose and is thus the only single-dose covid-19 vaccine on the European market for the time being. 

In its statement on Thursday, the EMA said that “the vaccine had a 67% efficacy,” whereas Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines recorded around 95% efficacy. However, this considerable difference could partly be explained by the fact that the J&J vaccine was trialled later, when different and more aggressive variant strains of the coronavirus had started to circulate. 

The EMA also specified that only those aged 18 or older will be able to receive the J&J innoculation whereas the company is planning on launching clinical testing for children and pregnant women in the near future. 

After the conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) granted to J&J by the EMA it is now down to the European Commission to take its decision on the vaccine.

In October, the EU had already announced that it had come to an agreement with J&J whereby Janssen Pharmaceuticals woud supply 200 million doses of its vaccine –-once approved--to EU member states with an option to secure an additional 200 million in future. 

In past weeks, questions were raised regarding covid-19 innoculations and the severity of side effects and complications of some of the coronavirus vaccines, with Luxembourg on Thursday taking the decision to put on hold around 4,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine following cases of coagulation problems caused by the drug.