Process for preparing biologically compatible polymers and their use in

Abstract

A hemocompatible composition comprising a polymer containing at least one pharmacologic material chemically bonded to a polymer backbone. Such compositions may be obtained by reacting a pharmacologic material with a compound containing a polymerizable group (e.g., an acyl halide) and thereafter either copolymerizing the acylated material with one or more copolymerizable monomers or first irradiating a backbone polymer and thereafter grafting the acylated pharmacologic material onto the irradiated polymer. The resulting products are hemocompatible and may be used in the manufacture of medical devices which come in contact with blood or other bodily fluids. The advantage of chemically bonded pharmacologic materials is that they are not leached out and retain their pharmaceutical effectiveness for a long period of time. The compositions may contain one or more additional pharmacologic materials which are physically admixed with polymers containing bonded pharmacologic materials.