Bioabsorbables

The biocompatibility and bioresorption of 3-methoxybutylcyanoacrylate (MBCA) was evaluated in vivo using female Wistar albino rats. MBCA was found to elicit slight to moderate tissue reaction similar to isobutylcyanoacrylate (iBCA) which has been sold commercially as a surgical adhesive (Bucrylate®, Ethicon). MBCA was judged less reactive to tissue than ethylcyanoacrylate (ECA). The MBCA implants in rat gluteal muscles also resorbed within approx. 16 wk while iBCA implants remained essentially unchanged at 36 wk in vivo.

Bioabsorbable cyanoacrylate-based tissue adhesives containing bioabsorbable copolymers are disclosed. The copolymers are preferably derived from .epsilon.-caprolactone, lactide and glycolide monomers or from butyl 2-cyanoacrylate, glycolide, lactide, .epsilon.-caprolactone monomers. The adhesives are characterized by increased biodegradability, increased viscosity and increased flexibility. The adhesives are useful for wound and incision closure, and for medical devices, including implants.

For more than 100 years, orthopedic surgeons have been repairing serious bone fractures by binding the fractures with screws, pins, and other fixation-type devices. Early on, these devices were often made from common metals such as iron or steel. Later on, they were made of highly sophisticated metal alloys of titanium, zirconium, niobium, and tantalum. Still the search continued for materials that would be more compatible with the human body, and that search led researchers to consider bioabsorbable polymers.

This invention addresses absorbable cyanoacrylate-based tissue adhesive compositions based primarily on an alkoxy cyanoacrylate combined with one or more alkyl cyanoacrylate(s), a stabilizer against premature anionic polymerization, and/or an absorbable polymeric modifier with improved, and preferably, functional properties for use, primarily, for internal wound repair applications.

A multi-layer, biodegradable film is disclosed. The multi-layer, biodegradable film contains a biodegradable core layer and a biodegradable pressure sensitive adhesive layer. The film may further contain a biodegradable, printable layer and a release liner.