surprisingly , it has been found that telmisartan can be obtained in crystalline form , as the sodium salt of the below formula 1 . in accordance with conventions respecting the use of nonproprietary names , the telmisartan salt of formula 1 may be referred to as telmisartan sodium . therefore , as used herein , the term “ telmisartan sodium ” is defined to mean the telmisartan salt of formula 1 . by a suitable choice of manufacturing conditions , the polymorphic form of the crystalline sodium salt which meets the requirements mentioned above can be obtained selectively . this crystalline form of the sodium salt of telmisartan is characterised by having a melting point of t = 245 ± 5 ° c . ( determined by dsc = differential scanning calorimetry ; heating rate : 10 k / min ). the present invention therefore relates to a crystalline form of telmisartan sodium that is characterised by having a melting point of t = 245 ± 5 ° c . ( determined by dsc ). the above value was obtained using a dsc821 made by messrs mettler - toledo . the crystalline form of telmisartan sodium according to the invention was examined more closely by x - ray powder diffraction . the x - ray powder diagram obtained is shown in fig1 . the following table 1 summarizes the data obtained in this x - ray powder diffraction analysis : in the above table the value “ 2 θ [°]” denotes the angle of diffraction in degrees and the value “ d [ å ]” denotes the lattice plane spacings determined in å . according to the findings given in table 1 , the crystalline form of telmisartan sodium that constitutes the invention is characterised in that , when subjected to analysis by x - ray powder diffraction , it exhibits a characteristic set of d - spacings that includes values at d = 20 . 95 å , 17 . 72 å , 13 . 97 å and 13 . 63 å . the x - ray powder diagrams were recorded within the scope of the present invention using a bruker d8 advanced with an ssd (= site - sensitive detector ) ( cuk α − radiation , λ = 1 . 5418 å , 30 kv , 40 ma ). the present invention also comprises the solvates and hydrates of the above - described crystalline form of telmisartan sodium , especially the hydrates , most especially the hemihydrate thereof in another aspect , the present invention comprises a method of producing the crystalline form of telmisartan sodium according to the invention . the starting material used to prepare the crystalline telmisartan sodium according to the invention may be the free acid of telmisartan , which may be obtained by methods known in the art ( e . g . according to ep 502314 a1 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 591 , 762 ). to prepare the crystalline telmisartan sodium according to the invention the free acid of telmisartan is taken up in a suitable solvent , preferably in an organic aprotic solvent , most preferably in an organic , aprotic and non - polar solvent . the solvents used according to the invention are most preferably toluene , chloroform , dichloromethane , tetrahydrofuran , diethylether , diisopropylether , methyl - tert . butylether , acetone , methylisobutylketone , benzene or acetonitrile , of which toluene , benzene and methylisobutylketone are particularly preferred . of outstanding importance according to the invention is toluene as solvent . preferably , between 0 . 5 and 5 ml , more preferably between 1 and 3 ml , most preferably between 1 . 5 and 2 . 5 ml of the abovementioned solvent are used per gram of telmisartan ( free acid ). a suitable sodium salt is then added as a base to this solution or suspension . suitable sodium salts within the scope of the present invention include sodium hydroxide , sodium hydride , sodium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium alkoxides . by sodium alkoxides are meant the sodium salts which are formed with lower alcohols , preferably with alcohols selected from among methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , n - propanol , tert - butanol , sec .- butanol , isobutanol , n - butanol and tert .- amylalcohol . of particular interest according to the invention are sodium salts selected from among sodium hydroxide , sodium hydride , sodium ethoxide and sodium methoxide ; of these , sodium hydroxide and sodium methoxide are of particular importance according to the invention . the abovementioned sodium salts may be added to the reaction mixture as solids . in the case of sodium hydroxide this is preferably added in the form of aqueous solutions , however . it is particularly preferable to use concentrated aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide . for example , sodium hydroxide solution may be used in a concentration of about 45 wt .-%. the amount of sodium salt to be used naturally depends on the amount of free acid telmisartan used . according to the invention at least 1 mol of sodium salt has to be added per mol of telmisartan . it is also possible according to the invention to add an excess of sodium salt . preferably , 1 - 2 . 5 , more preferably 1 - 2 , most preferably 1 - 1 . 5 mol of sodium salt are added per mol of the acid telmisartan used . if sodium hydroxide is used as the sodium salt and this is added in the form of an aqueous solution , according to a preferred embodiment of the process according to the invention , it may be helpful in some cases to add a water - miscible organic solvent . this is preferably selected from among methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , acetone , tetrahydrofuran , tert .- butanol , 2 - butanol , butanol , glycol , ethyldiglycol , 1 , 3 - butanediol , 1 , 4 - butanediol , tert .- amylalcohol , acetonitrile , nitromethane , formamide , dimethylformamide , n - methylpyrrolidinone , dimethylsulphoxide , dimethylacetamide , nitroethane and methoxy - 2 - propanol , of which the abovementioned alcohols are particularly significant . it is particularly preferred , within the scope of the process according to the invention , to use methanol or ethanol , most preferably ethanol . preferably , between 50 and 500 ml , more preferably between 100 and 400 ml , most preferably between 200 and 350 ml of this solvent are used per mol of telmisartan used , according to the invention . then the reaction mixture may be heated to speed up the progress of the reaction . preferably , the reaction mixture is heated to a temperature of & gt ; 40 ° c ., most preferably to over 60 ° c ., with thorough mixing . the maximum temperature which may be selected is naturally determined by the boiling temperature of the solvents used . if the preferred solvents as described hereinbefore are used according to the invention , the mixture is preferably heated to over 70 ° c . this heating is generally carried out for a period of from 15 minutes to 2 hours , preferably between 20 minutes and one hour . then the solution obtained is filtered and any solid remaining in the filter is washed with one or more of the abovementioned solvents . the filtrate obtained by the process described above is added slowly , preferably dropwise , to an organic solvent which is heated to a temperature of & gt ; 40 ° c ., preferably above 60 ° c ., most preferably to boiling point . the solvent used is preferably an organic aprotic solvent , more preferably an organic , aprotic and non - polar solvent . solvents which may be used according to the invention are , most preferably , toluene , chloroform , dichloromethane , tetrahydrofuran , diethylether , diisopropylether , methyl - tert . butylether , acetone , methylisobutylketone , benzene or acetonitrile , of which toluene , benzene and methylisobutylketone are particularly preferred . the solvent toluene is of exceptional importance according to the invention . at the same time as the filtrate is added to the heated solvent , in a preferred embodiment of the invention , some of the solvent is distilled off ( optionally azeotropically ). after all the filtrate has been added , more solvent ( e . g . about one to two thirds of the total amount of solvent added by this stage ) may optionally be removed by distillation . the concentrated solution thus obtained is cooled , preferably to ambient temperature , whereupon the telmisartan sodium salt crystallises out . after crystallisation is complete the crystals are separated off , optionally washed with the organic solvent mentioned above and finally dried . in another embodiment of the invention the crystalline telmisartan sodium salt according to the invention may be obtained starting from the acid addition salts of formula 2 wherein h — x denotes an acid selected from among hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , toluenesulphonic acid or methanesulphonic acid . of the abovementioned acid addition salts of formula 2 the salt wherein h - x denotes hydrochloric acid is of particular significance . this acid addition salts is also referred to hereinafter as telmisartan hydrochloride . the compounds of formula 2 may be obtained for example from tert .- butyl 4 ′-[[ 2 - n - propyl - 4 - methyl - 6 -( 1 - methylbenzimidazol - 2 - yl )- benzimidazol - 1 - yl ]- methyl ]- biphenyl - 2 - carboxylate (= tert .- butyl ester of telmisartan ) known from the prior art by saponification in acetic acid in the presence of the acid h — x . in order to prepare the crystalline telmisartan sodium salt of formula 1 according to the invention starting from the acid addition salts of formula 2 the following procedure may be used , according to the invention . the compound of formula 2 is taken up in a suitable solvent and combined with a suitable sodium salt . the solvent may be water and / or a suitable alcohol , such as methanol , ethanol or isopropanol mixed with an aprotic organic solvent selected from among toluene , chloroform , dichloromethane , tetrahydrofuran , diethylether , diisopropylether , methyl - tert . butylether , acetone , methylisobutylketone , benzene and acetonitrile . it is particularly preferred to use , as the solvent , water mixed with ethanol or isopropanol mixed with an aprotic organic solvent selected from among toluene , benzene and methylisobutylketone , most preferably toluene . a mixture of water , isopropanol and toluene has proved particularly suitable for this step of the synthesis . the amount of solvent or solvent mixture used depends on the amount of acid addition salt 2 used . preferably , about 0 . 3 - 3 . 5 l , preferably about 1 - 2 . 5 l , more preferably about 1 . 5 - 2 l of the abovementioned solvent or solvent mixture are used per mol of compound 2 used . if the solvent used is the preferred solvent mixture according to the invention which contains an alcohol as the third solvent component in addition to water and an aprotic organic solvent , the ratios by volume of water to aprotic organic solvent according to the invention are preferably in a range from 1 : 5 to 1 : 50 and the ratio of water to alcohol used is in a range from 2 : 1 to 1 : 40 . preferably , in a solvent mixture of this kind , the ratios of water to aprotic organic solvent are in the range from 1 : 10 to 1 : 30 , preferably in the range from 1 : 15 to 1 : 25 and the ratio of water to alcohol used is in a range from 1 : 1 to 1 : 20 , preferably in the range from 1 : 5 to 1 : 15 . preferably , the solvent or solvent mixture mentioned above contains about 10 to 100 ml of water , preferably about 30 to 80 ml of water , most preferably about 40 to 70 ml of water , per mol of 2 . preferably the solvent or solvent mixture used also contains about 100 to 1000 ml of alcohol , preferably about 300 to 800 ml alcohol , most preferably about 400 to 700 ml alcohol , per mol of 2 . finally , the solvent or solvent mixture used preferably contains as the third component of the solvent , about 200 to 2000 ml of the abovementioned aprotic organic solvent , preferably about 600 to 1600 ml , most preferably about 800 to 1400 ml of the abovementioned aprotic organic solvent , per mol of 2 . suitable sodium salts which may be used for reacting 2 to 1 include sodium hydroxide , sodium hydride , sodium carbonate , sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium alkoxides . by sodium alkoxides are meant the sodium salts which are formed with lower alcohols , preferably with alcohols selected from among methanol , ethanol , isopropanol , n - propanol , tert - butanol , sec .- butanol , isobutanol , n - butanol and tert .- amylalcohol . of particular interest according to the invention are sodium salts selected from among sodium hydroxide , sodium hydride , sodium ethoxide and sodium methoxide , while the sodium alkoxides sodium ethoxide and sodium methoxide , particularly sodium methoxide are of particular importance according to the invention for this reaction step . the abovementioned sodium salts may be added to the reaction mixture as solids . in the case of sodium methoxide however it is preferable to add it in the form of a methanolic solution . methanolic solutions of sodium methoxide which contain it in a concentration of at least 10 %, most preferably about 20 - 40 % ( w / w ), are particularly preferred . for example , the methanolic sodium methoxide solution used may have a concentration of about 30 wt . %. the amount of sodium salt to be used is naturally dependent on the amount of free acid telmisartan used . according to the invention , at least 2 mol of sodium salt have to be added per mol of telmisartan acid addition salt of formula 2 used . according to the invention it is also possible to add an excess of sodium salt . it may be useful in some cases to add activated charcoal to the abovementioned reaction mixture . for example , it may be added in an amount of about 5 - 50 g per mol of 2 used , preferably in an amount of about 10 - 40 g per mol of 2 used . after the sodium salt and optionally the activated charcoal has been added the reaction mixture obtained is heated to a temperature of about 50 - 100 ° c ., preferably about 60 - 90 ° c ., most preferably about 70 - 80 ° c . for a period of about 10 minutes to 2 hours , preferably for about 20 - 45 minutes . in the course of this heating , some of the solvent , preferably about 10 - 50 %, most preferably about 20 - 40 % of the total quantity of solvent may be distilled off . the remaining suspension is then filtered , the filter residue is optionally washed with one of the abovementioned aprotic organic solvents , preferably with the aprotic organic solvent which is also used in the reaction . the filtrate obtained is then diluted with a solvent or mixture of solvents . it is preferable to use a mixture of water and the abovementioned aprotic organic solvent for this . preferably , at this point , about 10 to 100 ml of water , preferably about 30 to 80 ml of water , most preferably about 40 to 70 ml of water are used per mol of the compound 2 originally used . at this point , 250 to 3000 ml , preferably about 800 to 2000 ml , most preferably about 1200 to 1800 ml of aprotic organic solvent are used per mole of the compound 2 originally used . after dilution , the mixture obtained is refluxed . then about 1 - 2 l , preferably about 1200 to 1800 ml of solvent are distilled off per mole of the compound 2 originally used . after the solvent has been distilled off the telmisartan - sodium salt 1 according to the invention crystallises out . the crystals obtained are isolated , optionally washed with one of the abovementioned aprotic organic solvents and then dried . in another aspect the present invention relates to crystalline telmisartan - sodium salt , optionally in the form of the solvates or hydrates thereof , preferably in the form of the hydrates thereof , most preferably in the form of the hemihydrate , which may be obtained by the methods described above . because of the central significance of the compounds of formula 2 as valuable starting materials for the direct synthesis of the telmisartan - sodium salt 1 according to the invention , in another aspect the present invention relates to compounds of formula 2 per se wherein h — x denotes an acid selected from among hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , toluenesulphonic acid or methanesulphonic acid . the compound of formula 2 wherein h — x denotes hydrogen chloride , the telmisartan hydrochloride , is particularly preferred . most preferably , the present invention further relates to the abovementioned compounds of formula 2 in crystalline form . moreover , in view of the pharmaceutical activity of the crystalline telmisartan sodium salt according to the invention , the present invention relates to the use thereof as a pharmaceutical composition . in another aspect , in view of the pharmaceutical activity of the crystalline telmisartan sodium salt according to the invention , the present invention relates to the use thereof for preparing a pharmaceutical composition , particularly for preparing a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of diseases wherein the administration of therapeutically effective doses of one or more angiotensin - ii - antagonists may provide a therapeutic benefit . preferably , the present invention relates to the use of crystalline telmisartan - sodium salt for preparing a pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of diseases selected from among hypertension , cardiac insufficiency , ischaemic peripheral circulatory disorders , myocardial ischaemia ( angina ), the progression of cardiac insufficiency after myocardial infarct , diabetic neuropathy , glaucoma , gastrointestinal diseases and bladder diseases , the prevention or treatment of hypertension being particularly preferred . accordingly , in another aspect , the present invention is directed to pharmaceutical formulations characterised in that they contain crystalline telmisartan - sodium salt . the example of synthesis that follows serves to illustrate a method of preparing crystalline telmisartan - sodium salt carried out by way of example . it is intended solely as a possible procedure provided by way of example , without restricting the invention to its contents . the starting material used to prepare crystalline telmisartan - sodium salt according to the invention may be the free acid , which may be obtained by methods known from the prior art ( e . g . according to ep 502314 a1 ). 154 . 4 g of telmisartan are placed in 308 . 8 ml of toluene in a suitable reaction vessel . the suspension is combined with 27 . 8 g of 44 . 68 % sodium hydroxide solution and 84 . 9 ml of ethanol and heated to 78 ° c . for about 30 min , then the mixture is filtered . if desired , if large amounts of solid are left in the filter , this may be washed with a mixture of 61 . 8 ml of toluene and 15 . 3 ml of ethanol . 463 . 2 ml of toluene are placed in another reaction vessel and refluxed . the filtrate obtained by the process described above is slowly added thereto at boiling temperature and simultaneously distilled off azeotropically . after it has all been added the solution which may have been obtained from washing the filter is also added and again distilled off azeotropically . the mixture is distilled at up to 103 ° c . and the suspension is allowed to cool to ambient temperature . the crystals are suction filtered , washed with 154 . 4 ml of toluene and dried at 60 ° c . in the circulating air drier . c 33 h 29 n 4 o 2 na × 0 . 5h 2 o calc . : c 72 . 51 h 5 . 72 n 10 . 25 found : c 72 . 57 h 5 . 69 n 10 . 21 411 g of tert .- butyl 4 ′-[[ 2 - n - propyl - 4 - methyl - 6 -( 1 - methylbenzimidazol - 2 - yl )- benzimidazol - 1 - yl ]- methyl ]- biphenyl - 2 - carboxylate are suspended in 822 ml of glacial acetic acid and combined with 213 g of concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid ( 37 %). the mixture is refluxed and about 640 ml of solvent are distilled off . the residue remaining is slowly combined with about 620 ml of water at 50 - 60 ° c . to this mixture are added 20 g of activated charcoal ( e . g . norit sx 2 ultra ) and the resulting mixture is stirred for about 10 min at constant temperature . after filtering , the residue is washed three times with 25 ml of glacial acetic acid and about 620 ml of water . the filtrate obtained is again heated to about 50 - 60 ° c . and about 2 l of water are added . after stirring for about 12 hours at about 23 ° c . the crystals formed are suction filtered and washed twice with about 500 ml of water , once with about 900 ml of acetone and then dried at about 60 ° c . 55 . 1 g of telmisartan hydrochloride are taken up in 110 . 2 ml of toluene , 5 . 5 ml of water , 55 . 1 ml of isopropanol and this mixture is combined with 36 . 9 g of sodium methoxide ( 30 % in methanol ) and 2 . 75 g of activated charcoal ( e . g . sorit sx 2 ultra ). the mixture is then heated to about 75 ° c ., and about 50 ml of solvent mixture are distilled off at constant temperature over about 30 min . the suspension obtained is filtered and the residue is washed with about 20 ml of toluene . the filtrate is combined with about 5 ml of water and about 150 ml of toluene . the mixture obtained is refluxed . during this time about 150 ml of solvent mixture are azeotropically distilled off ( at up to 102 ° c .). the mixture is left to crystallise for one hour at 100 ° c . the crystals are suction filtered , washed with about 50 ml of toluene and dried at about 60 ° c . c 33 h 29 n 4 o 2 na 0 . 5h 2 o calc . : c 72 . 51 h 5 . 72 n 10 . 25 found : c 72 . 44 h 5 . 68 n 10 . 20 to prepare a pharmaceutical composition containing the active substance , particularly an orally administered pharmaceutical composition , most preferably a tablet , procedures known in the art may be used . suitable tablets may be obtained , for example , by mixing the active substance ( s ) with known excipients , for example inert diluents such as calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or lactose , disintegrants such as maize starch or alginic acid , binders such as starch or gelatine , lubricants such as magnesium stearate or talc and / or agents for delaying release , such as carboxymethyl cellulose , cellulose acetate phthalate , or polyvinyl acetate . the tablets may also comprise several layers . the following are some examples of pharmaceutical preparations which may be used according to the invention . they are intended purely as illustrations by way of example without restricting the subject matter of the invention thereto . tablet 1 ingredients mg telmisartan - sodium salt hemihydrate 1 . 00 mannitol 121 . 50 maize starch 79 . 85 highly dispersed silicon dioxide , anhydrous 2 . 30 polyvidon k25 2 . 35 magnesium stearate 3 . 00 total 210 . 00