US Bio Company CEO and CFO Sell Millions in Stock After Exercising Options

On April 22 and 27, at United Therapeutics Corporation (NASDAQ: UTHR), Chairman and CEO Martin Rothblatt and CFO James Edgmond exercised stock options and, under a pre-established Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, sold tens of thousands of common shares in the open market, realizing substantial gains. Rothblatt executed two option exercises of 9,500 shares each at approximately $146 per share and then sold the bulk at about $570 per share, while Edgmond exercised 10,000 options and sold all shares at a similar price level, generating a combined spread of roughly $11 million. After these transactions, Rothblatt still holds over 40,000 shares directly—plus significant indirect holdings through family trusts and his spouse’s name—and Edgmond retains direct ownership of around 10,000 shares.

The company recently secured FDA clearance to begin the first clinical trial of its xenogeneic heart transplant candidate “UHeart,” which uses gene-edited pig hearts, bolstering expectations for its organ-manufacturing platform. It is also advancing research that leverages the space environment to improve the crystal structure of its rare lung disease drug candidates and has announced a microgravity-based drug development partnership with space startup Varda Space.

United Therapeutics is a Nasdaq-listed biotech firm developing and commercializing treatments for severe cardiopulmonary diseases—such as pulmonary arterial hypertension—and artificial organs for transplantation. Operating as a public benefit corporation, it pursues dual objectives of new drug development and expanded organ supply. Founder and CEO Martin Rothblatt, a serial entrepreneur who earlier founded satellite radio provider SiriusXM before transitioning into biotech, has drawn industry attention with a business model that combines pulmonary hypertension therapies and organ-manufacturing technologies.