NukeMed, Inc. Overview -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 6/30/2005
Last Visited: 1/22/2007
John Zehner, President and CEO
John Zehner has over 14 years of experience in the Nuclear Medicine field.Mr. Zehner has been part of several start-ups and mergers/acquisitions in his field.In 1993, he assisted in the start-up of Northern Virginia Isotopes, Inc., a nuclear pharmacy focused upon distributing radioactive pharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy to the Washington D.C. market.In 1994, Mr. Zehner established a nuclear pharmacy in Winchester, Virginia called Valley Isotopes, Inc.In 1995, he led the merger of three nuclear pharmacies to form Eastern Isotopes, Inc.In 1998, he led the start-up of the pharmaceutical manufacturing division for FDG within Eastern Isotopes, Inc.
In 1999, Mr. Zehner became President and COO of Eastern Isotopes, Inc.In that capacity, Mr. Zehner grew the company from a regional distribution pharmacy serving the Washington DC metro area to a national pharmaceutical manufacturing, imaging and distribution company serving more than 26 states.
Under Mr. Zehner's leadership, Eastern's sales grew from approximately 4 million USD in 1998 to over 34 million USD in 2003.During this period, the company also grew from 3 nuclear pharmacies and 50 employees to 14 facilities consisting of pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, nuclear medicine imaging clinics and nuclear pharmacies with approximately 300 employees.
In 2001, Mr. Zehner led the sale of Eastern Isotopes, Inc. to IBA, SA, a Belgium life science company, with an earn-out period.The exact terms of the sale remain confidential.During the earn-out period, Mr. Zehner had advisory responsibilities for IBA S. A. affiliates in France, Italy and Belgium.
Mr. Zehner regularly presented overviews of Eastern Isotopes, Inc. to academic institutions, investors, large clients and other nuclear medicine vendors.He delivered an educational presentation to the Institute of Clinical PET (currently the Academy of Molecular Imaging) on the topic of opportunities in cyclotrons.He presented on behalf of Eastern Isotopes, Inc., who was ultimately awarded the largest contract for FDG at the time with a group purchasing organization (GPO), the GPO represented over 1500 hospitals.Eastern Isotopes, Inc. developed joint ventures with the University of West Virginia, the Medical College of Virginia and ADAC (recently acquired by Phillips) during Mr. Zehner's tenure.
Mr. Zehner's background includes includes extensive experience in regulatory affairs with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and various state pharmacy boards.He has developed and presented budgets, financial projections and market forecasts to investors and various financial institutions on numerous occasions.Mr. Zehner's background also includes hands on experience as a nuclear pharmacist in 5 different states and as a radiation safety officer for 4 different companies, including Eastern Isotopes, Inc. and Amersham Health.He also has direct experience as a cyclotron operator for drug manufacturing.