- A 57-year-old man with terminal heart disease who became the first person to receive a genetically modified pig's heart has died, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) said.
- The hospital said that David Bennett's condition started deteriorating several days ago, adding that Bennett was given "compassionate palliative care."
- In October, Bennett first came to UMMC as a patient and was placed on a heart-lung bypass machine to keep him alive, but he was deemed ineligible for a conventional heart transplant.
- Bennett was implanted with a genetically modified pig heart to prevent rejection in a first-of-its-kind surgery.
- Related: First Successful Pig Heart Transplant Into Human: Details On The Amazing Technology And A Public Company To Watch.
- The surgery was among the first to demonstrate the feasibility of a pig-to-human heart transplant. For Bennett, the procedure was his last option.
- The hospital said that the transplanted heart performed "very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection."
- United Therapeutics Corporation's (NASDAQ:UTHR) subsidiary Revivicor, a regenerative medicine company, provided the genetically-modified pig.
- Price Action: UTHR shares are up 0.73% at $173.74 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.
