Bioabsorbable blends and coating composition containing same

• US 6,177,094 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1999
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: United States Surgical Corporation (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Jiang, Ying
• Primary Examiner(s): Azpuru, Carlos A.
• Application Number:
  US09/243,123
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 424/426, 514/772.3, 606/228, 606/230
• US Class Current: 424/426
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/06166 Sutures suture materials A61L17/00; manufacture of artificial threads D01D; treatment of threads D06M
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00004 (bio)absorbable, (bio)resorbable, resorptive for implantable prostheses A61F2210/0004
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 17/145 Coating

Abstract

A bioabsorbable blend is provided which comprises the reaction product of 1) a bioabsorbable copolymer obtained by polymerizing a major amount of epsilon-caprolactone and a minor amount of at least one other copolymerizable monomer in the presence of a polyhydric alcohol initiator and 2) the reaction product obtained by mixing polyalkylene glycol and a coplymer of glycolide/lactide copolymer. The blend has many uses, including that of a coating for a surgical suture.

Claims

1. A bioabsorbable blend comprising the reaction product of component A and component B wherein:

component A comprises a copolymer obtained by polymerizing a major amount of epsilon-caprolactone and a minor amount of at least one other copolymerizable monomer in the presence of polyhydric alcohol as initiator; and

component B comprises a composition comprising the product obtained by reacting a mixture of poly(propylene)glycol and lactide glycolide copolymer.

2. The blend of claim 1 wherein the other copolymerizable monomer is selected from the group consisting of glycolide, lactide, p-dioxanone and trimethylene carbonate.

3. The blend of claim 1 wherein the polyhydric alcohol initiator is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, trimethylolpropane, 1,2,4-butanetriol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, triethanolamine, triisopropanolamine, erythritol, threitol, pentaerythritol, ribitol, arabinitol, xylitol, N,N,N′

,N′

-tetrakis(2-hydroxy-ethyl)ethylenediamine, N,N,N′

,N′

-tetrakis(2-hydroxypropyl)ethylenediamine, dipentaerythritol, allitol, dulcitol, glucitol, altritol, iditol, sorbitol, mannitol and inositol.

4. The blend of claim 1 wherein the copolymer of component A comprises from about 70 to about 98 weight percent epsilon-caprolactone-derived units, the balance of the copolymer being derived from the other copolymerizable monomer(s).

5. The blend of claim 1 wherein the copolymer of component A comprises from about 80 to about 95 weight percent epsilon-caprolactone derived units, the balance of the copolymer being derived from the other copolymerizable monomer(s).

6. The blend of claim 1 wherein the polyhydric alcohol is employed in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent of the total monomer mixture.

7. The blend of claim 1 wherein the polyhydric alcohol initiator is employed in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 2 weight percent of the total monomer mixture.

8. The blend of claim 1 wherein the poly(alkylene)glycol is seleceted from the group consisting of poly(ethylene)glycol and poly(propylene)glycol.

9. The blend of claim 1 wherein the poly(alkylene)glycol has a molecular weight of about 400 to about 6000.

10. The blend of claim 1 wherein the lactide/glycolide copolymer is prepared from L-lactide.

11. The blend of claim 1 wherein the lactide/glycolide copolymer comprises from about 90 to about 65 mole percent lactide and from about 10 to about 35 mole percent glycolide.

12. The blend of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of poly(propylene)glycol to lactide glycolide copolymer in component B is from about 4:

1 to about 1;

4.

13. The blend of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of poly(propylene)glycol to lactide glycolide copolymer in component B is from about 2:

1 to about 1;

2.

14. The blend of claim 1 comprising about 30 to about 70 weight percent of component A and 70 to about 30 weight percent of component B.

15. A medical device fabricated in whole or in part from the blend of claim 1.

16. A surgical suture coated with a coating composition comprising the blend of claim 1.

17. The surgical suture of claim 16 which is a bioabsorbable braided suture.

18. The suture of claim 16 wherein the coating composition is applied to a suture at a level of 1 to about 10 weight percent of the entire coated suture.