Absorbable sutures TephaFlex

The chemical structures of these five basic building blocks and commercial absorbable sutures are shown in Fig. 11.1a and 11.1b, respectively. Very recently, 4-hydroxybutyrate-based absorbable suture (TephaFlex) was approved by the FDA. TephaFlex is bioengineered from bacteria rather... 

When 1,4-butanediol is supplied in different amormts as a carbon source, P(3HB-co-4HB) is biosynthesized with 4HB contents of 5-40mol.%. This copolymer has excellent elongation to break and thermal properties for various applications. Metabolix, USA, and Tianjin Green Bioscience, China, together with DSM, The Netherlands, announced plans to produce 50 000 and 10 000 tons per year, respectively.On the other hand, Tepha, USA, produces P(4HB) (TephaFLEX) for medical applications as absorbable sutures and srugical meshes. 

The latest addition to the synthetic absorbable suture materials is TephaFLEX which is thermally melt-spun from poly-4-hydroxybutyrate, a member of the class of absorbable biomaterials known as polydroxyal-kanoates, or PHA (FDA, 2007 Martin and Williams, 2003). Studies have shown that TephaFLEX is both biocompatible and noninflammatory. Their biodegradation occurs through normal processes and the products of the breakdown are metabolites that already exist in the body. 

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