Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has strengthened its scientific team and secured exclusive ownership of a proprietary iodine extraction technology, marking a significant step in its vertical integration strategy for producing medical imaging contrast media. The company announced the acquisition of intellectual property rights to the "Mueller Process" developed by Dr. Brian Mueller, who has been appointed as the company's Director of Chemistry.
The acquisition, completed on January 11, 2026, grants Voyageur 100% control over the technology, which the company expects will enhance cost efficiency, operational flexibility, and long-term supply-chain security for its iodine extraction projects. Initial bench-scale testing of the process on brine water from the Anadarko and West Texas Basins showed a greater than 90% yield to technical grade iodine, conversion to 99.5% pure iodine, and an environmentally friendly closed process with no volatile organic compounds or hazardous emissions. The output brine is described as a "clean brine" useful for industrial applications. These results, obtained through laboratory iodometric testing, have not been independently verified, with third-party evaluation expected in 2026.
Brent Willis, CEO & President of Voyageur, emphasized the strategic importance of this development, noting that provisional patent applications were filed in 2025 with full utility patent applications planned for 2026. The immediate focus is on iodine extraction in the Anadarko Basin. "More importantly, it may enable us to bypass the flake process entirely, directly creating iodine drugs through our proprietary Streamlined API process," Willis explained. This potential capability could position Voyageur to achieve one of the lowest cost structures in the multi-billion-dollar iodine contrast drug industry. The technology also opens the door to potential elemental mineral extraction from the company's ULI claim block in the Paradox Basin, Utah, targeting lithium, iodine, bromine, boron, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
Voyageur's Streamlined API process, created by COO Bradley Willis, aims to simplify production by extracting directly from brine water in a closed-loop manufacturing process. This could position a Voyageur 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, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2025 to 2033, according to market research available at https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/contrast-media-contrast-agents-market. The North American market for iodine contrast media represents approximately 39.07% of the global share, valued at about $2.65 billion annually.
Dr. Brian Mueller brings over 40 patents in water treatment, mineral extraction, and carbon capture technologies to his new role. His expertise in inorganic chemistry and advanced brine modeling is expected to support the integration of the Mueller Process with Voyageur's Streamlined API process, enhancing the company's ability to produce high-quality, low-cost iodine drugs. The company also announced it has delivered notice to terminate its collaboration with Altillion Inc., previously announced on June 23, 2025. This strategic advancement comes as Voyageur aims to become a vertically integrated leader in the radiology contrast media drug market, controlling costs from raw material sourcing to final production.
