INGESTIBLE HYDROPHILIC POLYMERIC AMINES USEFUL FOR LOWERING BLOOD CHOLESTEROL

The invention is concerned with swellable, covalently cross-linked amine homopolymers having the formula: P-¢(CH2)nNR!mR or (Ia) (Ib) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof having the formulae: P-¢(CH2)nN+(R)2!m R.mX- (Ic) and (Id) wherein P represents a hydrophilic, covalently cross-linked and non-digestible homopolymer backbone; R is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl radical; X- is a pharmaceutically acceptable anion; m is an integer varying from 1 to 10 inclusive; and n, o and p are, independently, integers varying from 2 to 12 inclusive. The covalently cross-linked amine homopolymers of the invention are highly efficient adsorbents for bile acids and salts and can thus be used for reducing hypercholesterolemia in affected humans.