Today a pedestrian and cycle bridge on to the Boots UK site in Beeston has officially been named after Dr Stewart Adams, whose pioneering work in the 1960s led to the discovery of ibuprofen.

The Dr Stewart Adams Bridge is part of a wider path linking the Boots site, which is part of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, with the Nottingham Science Park and University Boulevard.

Spanning almost half a century, Dr Stewart Adams had a highly-successful career at Boots. On 3 February 1969, 16 years after he began working on it, Boots launched ibuprofen under the brand name Brufen as a prescription anti-rheumatic product.

In 1987, Dr Adams was awarded an OBE for his work on one of the most effective and best-selling anti-inflammatory painkillers in the world. The University of Nottingham then gave him an honorary degree in 2008 and in February 2020, he was inducted into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame to recognise his discovery.

Councillor Adele Williams, Portfolio Holder for Local Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “We were delighted to open the bridge last year. It has benefitted employers and staff by providing a quicker cycling route and more public transport options. We’re very proud to be able to officially name it after Dr Adams, who revolutionised medicine when his team discovered ibuprofen more than 50 years ago. This is now a common, over-the-counter drug found in family medicine cabinets all over the world and widely used by healthcare professionals. His pioneering work in Nottingham has changed millions of people’s lives.”

Mark Chivers, Director of Estates, Energy and Engineering, Boots UK said, “We’re proud to be honouring Dr Stewart Adams and the incredible work he pioneered here at Boots. With this official naming ceremony and new plaque, we hope many more people will learn about Stewart Adams, his history and achievements. And we’re pleased too that the people of Nottingham can continue to benefit from the connections that this bridge enables.”

Led by Nottingham City Council, the £6.4m project was grant-funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and a planning contribution from Boots to upgrade pedestrian and cycle links between the city centre and the Boots site, part of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone. The footpath and cycleway runs from University Boulevard, along a road between the tennis centre and land earmarked for future science park developments, to Thane Road and the Beeston canal.