A crystalline form of epirubicin hydrochloride, named herein as 'type II' crystalline epirubicin hydrochloride, has excellent thermal stability. Type II crystalline epirubicin hydrochloride has a powder X-ray diffraction pattern having average values of diffraction angle (2 theta) and relative intensity P(%) as presented in the Table of Fig. 1.

A method of preparing an anthracyclin such as epirubicin from a starting material comprising 13-dihydrodaunorubicine (13-daunorubicinol). The method comprises producing N-Trifluoroacetyl-13-daunorubicinol from 13-daunorubicinol by acylation. The N-Trifluoroacetyl-13-daunorubicinol is reacted with an aprotic solvent and an acylating agent to produce an intermediate sulfoxy salt which is treated with a strong base to produce 4'-keto-N-Trifluoroacetyldaunorubicin. The 4'-keto-N-Trifluoroacetyldauno...

A crystalline form of epirubicin hydrochloride, named herein as "type II" crystalline epirubicin hydrochloride, has excellent thermal stability. Type II crystalline epirubicin hydrochloride has a powder X-ray diffraction pattern having average values of diffraction angle (2theta) and relative intensity P(%) as presented in the following table (I).