Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV:VM) (OTC Pink:VYYRF) announced on January 12, 2026, that it has acquired exclusive intellectual property rights to a proprietary iodine extraction technology developed by Dr. Brian Mueller, PhD, who has been appointed as the Company’s Director of Chemistry. The acquisition, effective January 11, 2026, grants Voyageur full control over the "Mueller Process," an innovative method for extracting iodine from brine water.
The Mueller Process has shown promising results in bench-scale testing, achieving greater than 90% yield from incoming brine to technical grade iodine (over 85% pure) and conversion to 99.5% pure iodine. The process is environmentally friendly, utilizing a closed system with no volatile organic compounds or hazardous emissions. Output brine is rendered "clean" and suitable for industrial use, hydraulic fracturing, desalination, or further mineral extraction. These results have not been independently verified, but third-party evaluation is expected in 2026.
Brent Willis, CEO & President of Voyageur, emphasized the strategic importance of this 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." He added, "More importantly, it may enable us to bypass the flake process entirely, directly creating iodine drugs through our proprietary Streamlined API process."
The Streamlined API process, developed by Bradley Willis, P.Eng, Voyageur's COO, aims to simplify production 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 $6.77 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $13.86 billion by 2033, with North America accounting for 39.07% of the market, approximately $2.65 billion per year (source: Grand View Research).
Dr. Brian Mueller brings over 40 patents spanning water treatment, mineral extraction, and carbon capture technologies. His expertise in thermodynamic brine chemistry and critical mineral recovery enabled him to design the Mueller Process. His appointment as Director of Chemistry underscores Voyageur's commitment to innovation and vertical integration. The Company expects his skills to support integration of the Mueller Process with the Streamlined API process, enhancing production of high-quality, low-cost iodine drugs.
Additionally, the new technology opens the door to potential elemental mineral extraction from Voyageur's ULI claim block in the Paradox Basin, Utah, including lithium, iodine, bromine, boron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Voyageur also announced termination of its collaboration with Altillion Inc., effective immediately, with the Company appreciating Altillion's contributions.
