A robust six-step process for the synthesis of crizotinib, a novel c-Met/ALK inhibitor currently in phase III clinical trials, has been developed and used to deliver over 100 kg of API. The process includes a Mitsunobu reaction, a chemoselective reduction of an arylnitro group, and a Suzuki coupling, all of which required optimization to ensure successful scale-up. Conducting the Mitsunobu reaction in toluene and then crystallizing the product from ethanol efficiently purged the reaction byproduct. A chemoselective arylnitro reduction and subsequent bromination reaction afforded the key intermediate 6. A highly selective Suzuki reaction between 6 and pinacol boronate 8, followed by Boc deprotection, completed the synthesis of crizotinib 1.
The initial route used to prepare PF-00610355 (8) for early clinical development is described. Through careful choice of solvent, an efficient, telescoped route to carboxylic acid 23 was developed, affording this late-stage intermediate in 80% yield over 4 steps. Deprotection of 23 to give sodium salt 24a and coupling with amine 6 3 HCl afforded the desired API. Effective synthetic routes to two of the starting materials, chiral bromide 1 and amine 6, are also described.
We report the discovery and optimization of an amine-promoted Friedel–Crafts alkylation of cinnamaldehyde with 4-hydroxymethyl phenol. This reaction has been used successfully on commercial scale (200 kg) in the context of the manufacture of fesoterodine, a muscarinic antagonist used for the treatment of overactive bladder. Reductive aminations of diisopropylamine and lactol 4 are also discussed, as well as the resolution of the racemic amine
rac
-2 into its enantiomerically pure form.
Heteroaromatic sulfinates are effective nucleophilic reagents in Pd0‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions with aryl halides. However, metal sulfinate salts can be challenging to purify, solubilize in reaction media, and are not tolerant to multi‐step transformations. Here we introduce base‐activated, latent sulfinate reagents: β‐nitrile and β‐ester sulfones. We show that under the cross‐coupling conditions, these species generate the sulfinate salt in situ, which then undergo efficient palladium‐catalyzed desulfinative cross‐coupling with (hetero)aryl bromides to deliver a broad range of biaryls. These latent sulfinate reagents have proven to be stable through multi‐step substrate elaboration, and amenable to scale‐up.
The development of a practical, scalable route to PF-00610355 (8) is described. In this convergent approach, amine 9 is coupled to protected bromohydrin 1 to give the doubly protected intermediate 26. TBS-Deprotection of 26 affords the benzyl protected penultimate intermediate 25 which is crystallized as the corresponding hemifumarate salt 25a. On the basis of solubility data, the final debenzylation was conducted in aqueous THF, and the API (8) is isolated from acetonitrile by an unusual distillative crystallization process. The development of an efficient process to prepare amine 9 is also described.
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