Patent ID: 8153148

Claim:
Biocompatible and biodegradable implant for filling a cavity in a living organism comprising polymer-coated biocompatible and biodegradable granules fused together through polymer linkage, said granules being made of biocompatible and biodegradable materials selected from the group consisting of biopolymers, bioglasses, bioceramics and a mixture thereof, and said granules having an equivalent-diameter in a range from about 350 μm to about 2000 μm; a major portion of the surface area of said granules being coated with at least one biocompatible and biodegradable layer of a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(α-hydroxyesters), poly(ortho esters), polyanhydrides, poly(phosphazenes), polypropylene fumarate), polyester amides), polyethylene fumarate), polylactide, polyglycolide, polycaprolactone, poly(glycolide-co-trimethylene carbonate), polydioxanone, co-polymers thereof and a blend of the polymers, and said polymer layer having a thickness in a range of 2 μm to 300 μm corresponding to a weight fraction of about 4% to about 15% of the weight of said implant, wherein the polymer linkage is carried out such that after fusing the granules together, an open interconnected porosity with macropores having an average diameter in a range of about 100 μm to about 500 μm, is achieved.