Absorbable Bimodal Polymeric Blend Compositions, Processing Methods, and Medical Devices

摘要

Novel absorbable polymeric blends having bimodal molecular weight distribution are disclosed. The bimodal blends have a first component that is a polylactide polymer or a copolymer of lactide and glycolide having a bimodal molecular weight distribution, and a second component that is a poly(p-dioxanone) polymer of unimodal or bimodal molecular weight distribution. Alternately, the bimodal blends have a first component that is a polylactide polymer or a copolymer of lactide and glycolide having a unimodal molecular weight distribution, and a second component that is a poly(p-dioxanone) polymer of bimodal molecular weight distribution. The novel polymeric bimodal molecular weight blends provide medical devices having improved dimensional stability. Also disclosed are novel absorbable medical devices made from these novel bimodal polymer blends, as well as novel methods of manufacture.

主权项

1. An absorbable polymer blend, comprising:
a first absorbable polymer comprising at least 50 weight percent of a lactide-rich polymer comprising about 100 mole percent to about 70 mole percent polymerized lactide and about 0 mole percent to about 30 mole percent polymerized glycolide; and, a second absorbable polymer comprising poly(p-dioxanone), wherein the maximum weight percent of poly(p-dioxanone) in the blend is 50 weight percent and the minimum weight percent of poly(p-dioxanone) in the blend is sufficient so that the polymer blend effectively provides dimensional stability to a manufactured article, and further wherein one or both of the first absorbable polymer and the second absorbable polymer are bimodal molecular weight distribution polymers each bimodal molecular weight distribution polymer comprising a blend of: (a) from about 60 to 95 wt. % of a first component polymer having a first weight average molecular weight between about 50,000 to about 500,000 Daltons; and (b) from about 5 to 40 wt. % of a second component polymer having a second weight average molecular weight between about 10,000 to about 50,000 Daltons, the weight average molecular weight ratio of said first molecular weight to said second molecular weight is at least about two to one.