Dr Simon Bryson has devoted his career to ensuring that children receive medicines designed specifically for them, rather than adult treatments adapted out of necessity. As the founder and Chief Executive of Proveca, he has led pioneering work that has transformed paediatric drug development worldwide. Over the past two decades, Simon has guided the creation of three landmark medicines now used internationally: Buccolam®, the first licensed emergency seizure treatment delivered through the cheek instead of by rectal suppository; Sialanar®, the first approved therapy for chronic drooling in children with neurological conditions; and Aqumeldi®, the first evidence-based enalapril formulation for paediatric heart failure.
From a small start-up in Manchester, Proveca has grown under his leadership into a global leader in child-specific medicines, employing more than seventy people across Europe and generating over £90 million in cumulative sales. Alongside this professional success, Simon founded Proveca for Children, supporting children’s hospices and charities across the UK and Europe, and he continues to mentor young scientists through university teaching and Proveca’s internal mentoring scheme. His guiding belief is simple: every child deserves a medicine that is safe, effective, and kind — a medicine made for them, not merely given to them.