Schering Aktiengesellschaft

Jenapharm Gmbh

Harald Raethe

Sven Ring

Sigfrid Schwarz

Detlef Grawe

Bernd Undeutsch

Bernd Erhart

Peter Moellmann

Gisela Weber

Gerhard Teichmueller

Hans-Joachim Palme

Barbara Schmidt

Carmen Pfeiffer

The method of isolating an anhydrous etidronate disodium particulate includes preparing a liquid-liquid dispersion consisting of an aqueous-organic phase and an etidronate-disodium-salt-containing aqueous phase; adjusting a temperature of the liquid-liquid dispersion to between 0 and 30&#xb0; C. and intensely agitating so that a coarse-particle fraction precipitates from the liquid-liquid dispersion, then drawing off a fine-particle suspension and allowing a fine-particle fraction to precipitate from it and filtering and drying the coarse particle fraction. In a preferred embodiment the fine-particle fraction is separated from the fine-particle suspension for recycling The resulting anhydrous etidronate disodium particulate has a grain size of from about 0.1 to 1 mm and a bulk density of 0.4 to 0.6 g/cmwith good properties for pharmaceutical applications.

Method for isolating pharmaceutically exploitable etidronate disodium

The invention is directed to novel steroid intermediate products of general formula I ##STR1## The steroid intermediate products which can be isolated according to the invention are suitable for the synthesis of 13-ethyl-11-methylene-18,19-bisnor-17.alpha.-pregn-4-en-20-in-17-ol (desogestrel). Further, processes for producing the steroid intermediate products of general formula I are described. The olefination of the 11-oxo steroids is carried out under the influence of ultrasound.

Steroid intermediate products and method of their production

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Jena, Germany

Harald Raethe