BRUSSELS: The medicine agency of the European Union (EU) has authorized the use of a Covid-19 vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson, only hours after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) made a positive recommendation based on the scientific assessment of its efficacy and safety.

"More safe and effective vaccines are coming to the market," "With the number of doses we ordered, we could vaccinate up to 200 million people in the EU." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted on Thursday.

Developed by Janssen, the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, it is the fourth vaccine the EU has granted conditional marketing authorization, after the ones developed by BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Thursday afternoon, the EMA recommended the use of the Janssen vaccine among people over 18 years of age. It is also the first Covid-19 vaccine that can be used in a single dose, said EMA's Executive Director Emer Cooke.

Results from a clinical trial involving 44,000 people in the US, South Africa and Latin American countries showed that the vaccine had a 67 percent efficacy, according to the EMA.

The EU has rolled out vaccination programs aiming at inoculating 70 percent of its adult population by September 21, 2021.

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