Calgary, Alberta, Canada — January 12, 2026 — Leads & Copy —Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has secured complete ownership of an iodine extraction technology and appointed its developer, Dr. Brian Mueller, as Director of Chemistry.
The Canadian pharmaceutical developer acquired intellectual property rights to the “Mueller Process” from Dr. Mueller on January 11, gaining control over its iodine strategy. Voyageur expects this will improve cost efficiency, operational flexibility, and supply-chain security for its iodine extraction projects.
Voyageur made an initial cash payment and will pay Dr. Mueller a running royalty on net sales of iodine products. The acquisition is an arm’s length transaction.
According to the company, initial bench scale testing of brine water from the Anadarko and West Texas Basins using the Mueller Process yielded:
- 90% yield from incoming brine to technical grade iodine (85% pure)
- Conversion to 99.5% pure iodine
- An environmentally friendly closed process with no volatile organic compounds or hazardous emissions
- Output brine that is a “clean brine” suitable for industrial use, hydraulic fracturing, desalination or further mineral extraction
Voyageur anticipates third party evaluation of the process in 2026. Laboratory Iodometric (redox titration) using standard thiosulfate titrant test was used. All testing was completed by Dr. Brian Mueller.
Brent Willis, CEO & President of Voyageur, said that securing exclusive rights to this technology is a pivotal development for the company.
With provisional patent applications filed in 2025, the company expects to submit full utility patent applications in 2026. The immediate focus is on iodine extraction in the Anadarko Basin, where the company believes this technology will allow them to produce iodine flake efficiently.
Willis added that the technology may enable the company to bypass the flake process entirely, directly creating iodine drugs through its Streamlined API process. This could enhance the ability to produce cost-effective iodine contrast agent and allow Voyageur to achieve one of the lowest cost structures in the multi billion-dollar iodine contrast drug industry.
The new technology may also facilitate elemental mineral extraction from Voyageur’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, 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. Voyageur believes that this has the potential to position the company, through a wholly owned subsidiary, to become the first U.S. company to produce iodine drugs domestically, mitigating supply chain risks and setting a new standard for cost efficiency in the industry.
The global contrast media market size was estimated at USD 6.77 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 13.86 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2025 to 2033. The North American market for iodine contrast media is estimated at 39.07% of the global market, $2.65 billion per year of the global market share.
Dr. Brian Mueller has over 40 patents spanning water treatment, mineral extraction, and carbon capture technologies. His expertise includes produced water treatment, corrosion modeling, and flow assurance chemistry.
Dr. Mueller’s appointment as Director of Chemistry reflects Voyageur’s commitment to innovation. The company expects that his experience in developing and commercializing advanced technologies will support its mission to become a leader in the radiology contrast media drug market.
Voyageur also announced the termination of its collaboration with Altillion Inc., previously announced on June 23, 2025.
Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is focused on vertically integrating the barium and iodine contrast markets. Voyageur aims to become a key player by producing its own barium and iodine APIs and supplying raw materials to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The company has a 100% interest in the Frances Creek barium sulphate project, which contains a rare and exceptional grade mineral suitable for the pharmaceutical marketplace.
Voyageur aims to become the first vertically integrated company in the radiology contrast media drug market.
Brent Willis, CEO, Brent@vpharma.ca, 403-923-5944
Albert Deslauriers, CFO, Albert@vpharma.ca
info@vpharma.ca
Source: Voyageur Pharmaceuticals
