First Human With Pig Heart Transplant Dies

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 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.