Top White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers said on Thursday the U.S. recovery has a long way to go but the economy is far healthier now than it was a year ago.

At (that) time it was reasonable to ask the question: would the U.S. and global economy recover, it was reasonable to fear the possibility of depression, he said in Reuters interview.

Today those prospects look much more remote, he added.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville)