Patent ID: 7129319

Claim:
An absorbable, crystalline, monocentric, polyaxial copolymer comprising: a central atom selected from the group consisting of carbon and nitrogen; and at least three axes originating and extending outwardly from the central atom, each axis comprising: an amorphous, flexible component adjacent to and originating from the central atom, the amorphous component comprising repeat units derived from at least one cyclic monomer selected from the group consisting essentially of carbonates and lactones; and a rigid, crystallizable component extending outwardly from the amorphous, flexible component, the crystallizable component comprising repeat units derived from at least one lactone; wherein the copolymer comprises a melting temperature greater than 120° C., a heat of fusion greater than 10 J/g, and an endothermic transition at 40–100° C., wherein the endothermic transition can be controlled by subsequent heat treatment of the copolymer.