TORONTO, ONTARIO – May 8, 2025 – The Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) is delighted to announce that Brent Willis B.Sc. Eng., President, CEO & Director of Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSXV: VM | OTCQB: VYYRF) will deliver the Day 1 spotlight address, “Radiology’s Hidden Critical Minerals Crisis—And How Voyageur Is Solving It,” on Tuesday, May 13 (2:55 – 3:10 PM ET) at the National Club in Toronto.
In this presentation, Willis will expose how shortages of pharmaceutical-grade barium and iodine—the unheralded critical minerals that make modern X-ray, CT and MRI imaging possible—have left North American hospitals dependent on vulnerable foreign supply chains, and he will outline Voyageur’s plan to restore domestic security of supply from “the earth to the bottle.”
From Petroleum Engineer to Mine-to-Medicine Pioneer
Calgary-trained petroleum engineer Brent Willis founded Voyageur Minerals in 2013 and guided its evolution into Voyageur Pharmaceuticals, a vertically integrated radiology-drug company that secures its own mineral supply. Under his leadership, the company demonstrated that its flagship Frances Creek barite deposit in British Columbia meets all U.S. Pharmacopeia specifications—giving Voyageur a rare domestic feedstock that matches the purity of synthetic imports while cutting costs and the greenhouse-gas emissions tied to long-distance shipping.
Voyageur has since developed five barium-contrast products—SmoothX, SmoothHD, SmoothLD, VisionHD and VisionLD—all licensed by Health Canada, with additional formulations such as V-Gas™ and iodine agents in the pipeline. Recent clinical studies at Canada Diagnostic Centres validated the product line’s performance, clearing the way for commercial rollout.
Building a North American Radiology Supply Chain
Willis will argue that vertical integration is the only durable answer to radiology’s mineral bottleneck: Voyageur will mine barite at Frances Creek (B.C.) and iodine from its Oklahoma project and Utah claims, refine them into APIs and drugs. — capturing margin at every step while insulating hospitals from geopolitical shocks.
Willis on Why It Matters
“North America is dependent on imports today, so we’re going to be the first domestically produced radiology-drug company,” Willis told InvestorNews earlier this year, stressing the market’s US$6-billion size. “Our strategy is simple: control the mineral, control the molecule, and deliver safer imaging agents from the earth to the bottle.”
Tracy Hughes, Founder & Executive Director of CMI, added:
“Brent is proving that critical minerals security is a health-care issue as much as an industrial one. His mine-to-medicine model offers a blueprint for rebuilding resilient life-science supply chains right here in North America, and our delegates will gain a front-row view of how that blueprint becomes reality.”
CMI Summit IV Event Details
Theme: The War for Critical Minerals and Capital Resources
Dates: Tuesday & Wednesday, May 13–14, 2025
Summit Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM ET
Registration & coffee: 7:30 – 8:30 AM
Reception: Tuesday, May 13, 5:00 – 6:30 PM — hosted by ArcStone Securities and Investment Corp.
Location: The National Club, 303 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
CriticalMineralSummit.com
To register or secure a CMI Summit IV 2-day Delegates Pass, click here
About Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Voyageur, a Canadian public company trading under the symbol VM on the Exchange, is in development of barium and iodine Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) that offer high-performance, cost-effective imaging contrast agents. With a strategic focus on vertically integrating the barium and iodine contrast markets, Voyageur aims to become a key player by producing its own barium and iodine, while also pursuing the development of new endo-fullerene drugs. Its business plan is to generate cash flow by partnering with established third-party GMP pharmaceutical manufacturers in Canada, ensuring worldwide regulatory validation of its products; as market presence grows, the company intends to transition into a high-margin domestic manufacturer of radiology drugs. Committed to sustainability, Voyageur plans to build state-of-the-art carbon-capture infrastructure using the Rain Cage EDEN™ system and to generate revenue from “advanced carbon production.” The company owns a 100 % interest in the Frances Creek barium-sulphate (barite) project—an exceptionally high-grade resource it believes can replace synthetic pharmaceutical barite with superior imaging quality—and its vision is to become the first vertically integrated radiology-contrast-media drug manufacturer, controlling costs from raw material to final production under the motto “From the Earth to the Bottle.”
About the Critical Minerals Institute
The Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) is a trusted global leader in connecting companies, capital markets, and experts in the critical minerals industry. By combining in-depth research, thought leadership, and extensive industry expertise, CMI provides exclusive insights, invaluable resources, and robust networking opportunities that empower its members to thrive in a rapidly evolving global marketplace. Through collaboration with businesses, governments, and other stakeholders, CMI addresses both the challenges and opportunities within the critical minerals sector, highlighting the value, sustainability, and strategic importance of these essential materials. As a result, CMI ensures its members are equipped to drive innovation, lead in cutting-edge technology, and fuel industrial advancement worldwide.
To secure a CMI Membership, click here or to secure a CMI Summit IV 2-day Delegates Pass, click here
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