The present invention includes an oral pharmaceutical capsule comprising a shell, lanthanum carbonate or lanthanum carbonate hydrate, and a lubricant such as talc, wherein the shell encapsulates the lanthanum carbonate or lanthanum hydrate and the lubricant. Capsule shells comprise, for example, gelatin. The capsules of the present invention dissolve at a similar rate before and after storage. The oral pharmaceutical capsules of the present invention can be administered to treat a patient at risk for or suffering from hyperphosphatemia, at risk for or suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD), at risk for or suffering from soft tissue calcification associated with CKD, or at risk for or suffering from secondary hyperparathyroidism.
