Olav Johan Brænden (1 July 1919 – 14 July 1989) was a Norwegian pharmacist, drug expert and inventor. He led the construction and operation of the central laboratory for drug research at the United Nations Office at Geneva. He is also associated with his development of the patented medicine ''Brændens nesedråper'' (nose droplets). He was born at Norderhov (now Ringerike) in Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Johan Brandenen (1869-1952) and Anne Juvkam (1873-1953). During the 1950s his interests centered on drug-related questions. Brænden studied

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

at the University of Oslo, and graduated as pharmaceutical chemist in 1942. During the German occupation of Norway, he was arrested in 1944 for involvement in illegal work and led to

Grini Grini is a district in northeastern Bærum, Norway. Concentration camp The name Grini is best known from the concentration camp of the same name, but this camp lay further west and had no actual connection to the Grini area. History The name ...

where he remained until the end of World War II. In 1947, he went to the University of Minnesota where he graduated in 1950. He worked on drug issues at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland from 1951 until 1953. He then was Social Affairs Officer at the United Nations headquarters in New York City for two years. He subsequently studied at the Paris-Sorbonne University in Paris and at the Institute de la Médecine Tropicale in

Bondy Bondy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. In 2019, it had a population of 54,587. Name The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around ...

. From 1955 he led the development of the United Nations drug laboratory in Geneva. He served as Director of the laboratory and was also head of the United Nations Research Program on Drugs until his retirement in 1979. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1980. He was made a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Sciences The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

from 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braenden, Olav 1919 births 1989 deaths People from Ringerike (municipality) University of Oslo alumni University of Minnesota alumni Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Norwegian pharmacists 20th-century Norwegian inventors Grini concentration camp survivors Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Norwegian officials of the United Nations