Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV:VM) (OTC Pink:VYYRF) announced on January 12, 2026, that it has secured 100% ownership of an innovative iodine extraction technology developed by Dr. Brian Mueller, PhD, who has been appointed as the Company’s Director of Chemistry, effective immediately. The acquisition of the intellectual property rights to the "Mueller Process" grants Voyageur control over the intellectual property supporting its iodine strategy, which the company expects will enable it to advance its iodine extraction projects with enhanced cost efficiency, operational flexibility, and long-term supply-chain security.
Brine water from the Anadarko and West Texas Basins has been tested using the Mueller Process. Initial bench scale testing conducted by Dr. Mueller demonstrated greater than 90% yield from incoming brine to technical grade iodine (greater than 85% pure) and conversion to 99.5% pure iodine. The process is described as environmentally friendly, with no volatile organic compounds or hazardous emissions, and the output brine is a “clean brine” useful for industrial use, hydraulic fracturing, desalination, or further mineral extraction. Third-party evaluation of the process is expected to occur in 2026.
Brent Willis, CEO & President of Voyageur, emphasized the strategic importance of securing exclusive rights to this proprietary technology. "With provisional patent applications for the intellectual property acquired by Voyageur filed in 2025, we are on track to submit full utility patent applications in 2026. Our immediate focus is on iodine extraction in the Anadarko Basin, where we believe this technology will allow us to produce iodine flake efficiently. More importantly, it may enable us to bypass the flake process entirely, directly creating iodine drugs through our proprietary Streamlined API process. This potential capability not only enhances our potential ability to produce high-quality, cost-effective iodine contrast agent, but is expected to allow Voyageur to achieve one of the lowest cost structures in the multi billion-dollar iodine contrast drug industry."
Voyageur’s Streamlined API process, created by Bradley Willis, P.Eng, Voyageur's COO, aims to simplify the production of iodine contrast drugs by extracting directly from brine water and creating a closed loop manufacturing process. This could position Voyageur, through a wholly owned subsidiary, to become the first U.S. company to produce iodine drugs domestically, mitigating supply chain risks. The global contrast media market was estimated at USD 6.77 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 13.86 billion by 2033, with the North American market for iodine contrast media estimated at $2.65 billion per year.
Dr. Brian Mueller, a scientist with over 40 patents spanning water treatment, mineral extraction, and carbon capture technologies, brings expertise in inorganic chemistry and advanced brine modeling. His appointment as Director of Chemistry reflects Voyageur's commitment to innovation and excellence. The company also announced it has delivered a notice to Altillion Inc. terminating their collaboration, previously announced on June 23, 2025.
