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, completed on January 11, 2026, grants Voyageur control over the intellectual property supporting its iodine strategy, including provisional patent applications filed in 2025 with full utility patent applications expected in 2026.
The proprietary technology, known as the "Mueller Process," has been tested on brine water from the Anadarko and West Texas Basins. 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 produces a "clean brine" suitable for industrial use. Third-party evaluation of the process is expected to occur in 2026.
Brent Willis, CEO & President of Voyageur, emphasized the strategic importance of the acquisition. "With provisional patent applications 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." The Streamlined API process, created 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 as the first U.S. company to produce iodine drugs domestically, mitigating supply chain risks.
The acquisition also opens potential for elemental mineral extraction from Voyageur’s ULI claim block in the Paradox Basin, Utah, including lithium, iodine, bromine, boron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. The global contrast media market was estimated at $6.77 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $13.86 billion by 2033, with the North American market for iodine contrast media estimated at $2.65 billion per year (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 led to the development of the Mueller Process, integrating electrochemical oxidation, advanced filtration, and scalable extraction methods. His appointment as Director of Chemistry is expected to support integration with Voyageur's Streamlined API process.
Voyageur also announced the termination of its collaboration with Altillion Inc., previously announced on June 23, 2025, thanking Altillion for its contributions.
