Abstract: Pharmaceutically acceptable metal salts of compounds of formula (I): in which R1 is selected from the group consisting of (C1–C6)alkoxy(C1–C6)alkyl which may be substituted with (C1–C6)alkoxy, phenyl-(C1–C6)-alkyl and/or phenyloxy-(C1–C6)-alkyl group in which any phenyl group may be substituted with (C1–C6)alkyl, (C1–C6)alkoxy or halogen, and naphtyl-(C1–C6)-alkyl; R2 and R3 are each independently hydrogen or halogen; R4 is a biolabile ester forming group; and in which the salt is selected from the lithium salt and salts of bivalent metal ions such as magnesium, calcium and zinc.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of an acid addition salt of a dobutamine compound of the general formula ##STR1## wherein R is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and n is 1 or 2,by reacting a mineral acid--addition salt of a dopamine compound of the general formula ##STR2## with a ketone of the general formula ##STR3## under the influence of a catalytic amount of a base, and in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst, after which the pH of the reaction mixture is adjusted to approx. 6 at most and the product is isolated.