Stabilized atorvastatin

1. A stable pharmaceutical composition for oral administration comprising atorvastatin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and an amount of a pharmaceutically acceptable organic alkalizing compound capable of establishing a micro-environment for atorvastatin having a pH of at least about 5, wherein the composition is free of other stabilizing compounds, the organic alkalizing compound is present in an amount ranging from 0.01 to 0.5% w/w, and the composition comprises less than 0.2% w/w of atorvastatin lactone after 6 months storage at 25° C. at 60% relative humidity.

2. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , wherein the organic alkalizing compound is selected from the group consisting of amines, amides and ammonium compounds.

3. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , wherein the alkalizing compound is selected from the group consisting of ammonium lactate, ammonium bicarbonate, mono ethanolamine, di ethanolamine, tri ethanolamine, tri hydroxymethylaminomethane, ethylenediamine, N-methyl glucamide, 6N-methyl glucamine, meglucamine, L-lysine and 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol.

4. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , wherein the alkalizing compound is 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (tromethamine).

5. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , which is free of antioxidants.

6. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 4 , comprising from 0.02% w/w to 1.0% w/w of tromethamine.

7. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 4 , comprising tromethamine in an amount below 0.5% w/w.

8. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , wherein the atorvastatin is selected from the group consisting of crystalline atorvastatin calcium, amorphous atorvastatin calcium, crystalline atorvastatin magnesium, amorphous atorvastatin magnesium, a mixture of amorphous and crystalline atorvastatin calcium and a mixture of amorphous and crystalline atorvastatin magnesium.

9. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , wherein the atorvastatin is crystalline atorvastatin magnesium.

10. A tablet comprising atorvastatin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and tromethamine, wherein the tablet is free of other stabilizing compounds, and the tablet comprises less than 0.5% w/w of tromethamine and less than 0.2% w/w of atorvastatin lactone after 6 months storage at 25° C. at 60% relative humidity.

11. A method for preparing a tablet comprising atorvastatin and an amount of a pharmaceutically acceptable organic alkalizing compound capable of establishing a microenvironment for atorvastatin having a pH of at least about 5, which method comprises the steps of:

i) preparing a solid pharmaceutical composition by wet granulation of atorvastatin and the alkalizing compound, and

iii) compressing the composition into a tablet, wherein the composition is free of other stabilizing compounds.