NEW YORK — This week Johnson & Johnson said that it had begun its large-scale, pivotal, multi-country Phase-3 trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The company said it  expects the first batches of the COVID-19 vaccine, JNJ-78436735, to be available for emergency use authorization in early next year, if proven to be safe and effective.

The company said it will enroll up to 60,000 volunteers across three continents and will study the safety and efficacy of a single vaccine dose versus placebo in preventing COVID-19.