Discovery of ibuprofen
Descubrimiento del ibuprofeno
- Date
- 1961 · confidence high
- Place
- Boots laboratories, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Stewart Adams, with John Nicholson
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
Stewart Adams and his team at the Boots laboratories synthesized ibuprofen while searching for an alternative to aspirin with fewer side effects; Adams first tested it on himself to relieve a hangover. It launched in 1969 against rheumatoid arthritis and became the first non-aspirin NSAID sold over the counter in 1983-1984.
What it led to
- The first non-aspirin NSAID sold over the counter (1983-1984)
- A routine treatment for pain, fever and inflammation
- The Queen's Award for Technical Achievement for Boots (1985)