Patent ID: 7129352

Claim:
A process for the preparation of an amorphous calcium salt of (E)-7-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-[methyl(methylsulfonyl)amino]pyrimidin-5-yl]-(3R,5S)-3,5-dihydroxyhept-6-enoic acid, said process comprising the steps of: (a) converting a crystalline salt of (E)-7-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-[methyl(methylsulfonyl)amino]pyrimidin-5-yl]-(3R,5S)-3,5-dihydroxyhept-6-enoic acid to the sodium salt; and (b) reacting said sodium salt with a water soluble calcium salt under aqueous conditions to form said amorphous calcium salt of (E)-7-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-[methyl(methylsulfonyl)amino]pyrimidin-5-yl]-(3R,5S)-3,5-dihydroxyhept-6-enoic acid; wherein said crystalline salt is selected from an ammonium, methylammonium, ethylammonium, diethanolammonium, tris(hydroxymethyl)methylammonium, benzylammonium, 4-methoxybenzylammonium, lithium or magnesium salt of the compound (E)-7-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-[methyl(methylsulfonyl)amino]-pyrimidin-5-yl](3R,5S)-3,5-dihydroxyhept-6-enoic acid.