Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV:VM) (OTC Pink:VYYRF) announced on January 12, 2026, that it has acquired 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. The acquisition of the intellectual property rights to the "Mueller Process" grants Voyageur control over the technology supporting its iodine strategy, with the expectation of advancing its iodine extraction projects with enhanced cost efficiency, operational flexibility, and long-term supply-chain security.
As consideration for the acquisition, Voyageur made a lump sum initial cash payment and will pay Dr. Mueller a running royalty on net sales of iodine products. The transaction is an arm's length deal. Initial bench scale testing conducted by Dr. Mueller on brine water from the Anadarko and West Texas Basins demonstrated greater than 90% yield from incoming brine to technical grade iodine (greater than 85% pure), with conversion to 99.5% pure iodine. The process is described as environmentally friendly, with no volatile organic compounds or hazardous emissions, and produces a "clean brine" suitable for industrial use, hydraulic fracturing, desalination, or further mineral extraction. Testing was completed by Dr. Mueller, with third-party evaluation expected 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," Mr. Willis explained. "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." He added that the new technology also opens the door to potential elemental mineral extraction from the Company's ULI claim block in the Paradox Basin, Utah, including lithium, iodine, bromine, boron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
Voyageur’s Streamlined API process, created by Bradley Willis, P.Eng, the Company'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 positions Voyageur, through a wholly owned subsidiary, to potentially become the first U.S. company to produce iodine drugs domestically, mitigating supply chain risks and setting a new standard for cost efficiency. 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 is a scientist and inventor with over 40 patents spanning water treatment, mineral extraction, and carbon capture technologies. His expertise in thermodynamic brine chemistry and critical mineral recovery led to the development of the Mueller Process, which integrates electrochemical oxidation processes, advanced filtration, and scalable extraction methods. Voyageur believes his appointment will support the integration of the Mueller Process with the Streamlined API process, enhancing the Company's ability to produce high-quality, low-cost iodine drugs. Additionally, Voyageur announced it has delivered a notice to Altillion Inc. terminating their collaboration, previously announced on June 23, 2025.
More details on the forward-looking statements and risks associated with Voyageur's business are available in the Company's filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com.
