Thienylsulfonamides and their pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions, articles of manufacture, combinations, lyophilized powders and methods for the treatment of endothelin diseases using these formulations and sulfonamides are provided. A process of preparing an alkali metal salt of a hydrophobic sulfonamide is provided. The process includes the step of dissolving a free sulfonamide in an organic solvent in the presence of a saturated alkali metal salt solution and recovering the formed sulfonamide salt from the organic phase.