The invention provides methods for preparing pharmaceutical formulations for injection such that upon injection the formulation does not cause erythrocyte agglutination, hemolysis, and/or cell shrinkage. To prevent agglutination, a pharmaceutical formulation ready for injection needs to have a sufficient ionic strength. To prevent hemolysis or cell shrinkage, a pharmaceutical formulation ready for injection needs to be about isotonic with respect to plasma. The invention provides methods that prepare pharmaceutical formulations for injection that have both the sufficient ionic strength to prevent agglutination and the requisite tonicity to prevent significant hemolysis or cell dehydration or shrinkage. The present methods involve the use of sodium chloride solutions that are about 25 mM to about 150 mM for reconstituting lyophilized cakes (or other non-liquid pharmaceutical formulations) into solution or for diluting pharmaceutical formulation solutions.
