Process for preparing synthetic absorbable poly(esteramides)

Claim 1

A process for making a body absorbable polymeric material having a plurality of units of the general formula: ##STR3## in which R 1 is hydrogen or methyl; R 3 and R 5 are identical or different and are groups selected from the class consisting of linear and branched alkylene, alkylene having 1 or 2 nonadjacent catenary oxygen or sulfur atoms, alkenylene, cycloalkylene and arylene; said groups having up to 25 carbon atoms in the cyclic compounds and from 2 to 25 carbon atoms in the non-cyclic compounds; R 2 and R 4 are hydrogen or alkyl having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or R 2 and R 4 together are linear or branched alkylene having one to four carbons forming with N--R 3 --N a heterocyclic group having 5 or 6 ring atoms; and a and b are independently zero or one said process comprising the steps of: reacting at least one diamine with lactic or glycolic acid to form at least one diamidediol; and reacting said at least one diamidediol with a bischloroformate or a compound selected from the group consisting of dicarboxylic acids, methyl and ethyl esters of dicarboxylic acids, diacidchlorides, and anhydrides of a dicarboxylic acid to provide said body adsorbable polymeric material.