High strength, fast absorbing, melt processable, gycolide-rich, poly(glycolide-co-p-dioxanone) copolymers

An absorbable device for use in medical applications, the medical device comprising a segmented copolymer, said copolymer comprising:

• a major component comprising about 30 mole percent to about 95 mole percent of repeating units of glycolide;
• and,
• a minor component comprising about 70 mole percent to about 5 mole percent of repeating units of p-dioxanone, wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 20,000 grams to about 300,000 grams per mole and an inherent viscosity of about 0.5 to about 4 0 deciliters per gram.

An absorbable device for use in medical applications, the medical device comprising a segmented copolymer, said copolymer comprising:

• a major component comprising about 30 mole percent to about 90 mole percent of repeating units of glycolide, and,
• a minor component comprising about 70 mole percent to about 10 mole percent of repeating units of p-dioxanone, wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 20,000 grams to about 300,000 grams per mole and an inherent viscosity of about 0.5 to about 4.0 deciliters per gram.

An absorbable device for use in medical applications, the medical device comprising a segmented copolymer, said copolymer comprising:

• about 30 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of repeating units of glycolide;
• and,
• about 70 mole percent to about 50 mole percent of repeating units of p-dioxanone, wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 20,000 grams to about 300,000 grams per mole and an inherent viscosity of about 0.5 to about 4.0 deciliters per gram.

A process for producing a segmented copolymer of p-dioxanone and glycolide, said process comprising heating a mixture of p-dioxanone monomer, p-dioxanone homopolymer, and glycolide monomer, to a sufficient temperature, said temperature ranging between about 100.degree. C. and about 220.degree. C., for a period of time to effectively produce a segmented copolymer comprising a major component comprising about 30 mole percent to about 95 mole percent of repeating units of glycolide and a minor component comprising about 70 mole percent to about 5 mole percent of repeating units of p-dioxanone.