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A synthetic methodology for a protecting-group-free formation of 3-aryl-substituted 4-aminopyrazoles from acetophenones via a telescoped oximation and hydrazine condensation of 1,3-ketoaldehydes to generate nitrosopyrazoles, and copper-catalyzed NaBH4 reduction of the nitroso group, was demonstrated. The synthesis tolerates a broad scope of substrates with a variety of substituents on the phenyl ring to afford the desired products.

The development of an improved kilogram-scale synthesis of the JAK1 inhibitor GDC-4379 for the treatment of asthma is described. The new process is highlighted by a step-economical construction of ...

The crystallization-induced diastereomer transformation of a precursor to navoximod was investigated using online HPLC and optimized with inline racemization.

Micronization by air jet milling is often used to produce drug substance particles of acceptable respirable size for use in dry powder inhaler formulations. The energy from this process often induces surface disordered sites on the micronized particles with potential consequences for the long-term stability of the drug substance. In this study, two lots of the same drug substance were qualitatively determined to have different extents of disordered surface using dynamic vapor sorption and scanning electron microscopy. These differences led to observable divergences in particle size and morphology between lots of drug substances on long-term and accelerated stability. The studies investigate the contribution of temperature and humidity, morphology prior to milling, and stability behavior post-micronization. The results highlight the importance of controlling the crystallization solvents upstream of micronization and their contribution to a material's susceptibility to milling-induced disorder on long-term physical stability. Furthermore, this work proposes an accelerated technique useful in predicting stability behavior of micronized drug substances in days rather than months, especially in cases where small differences cannot be detected by standard solid-state techniques.

The concise early development route to the Nav1.7 inhibitor GDC-0310 is described. The active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) contains one stereocenter, which was obtained with high enantiomeric excess (>99:1) by using an SN2 displacement approach to connect two intermediates: a chiral benzyl alcohol and a piperidine. The synthesis of the piperidine building block proceeded via a regioselective SNAr reaction on 1-chloro-2,4-difluorobenzene by N-Boc-4-piperidinemethanol, followed by installation of the methyl ester group by electrophilic aromatic bromination and a palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation. A subsequent Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction was then telescoped directly into cleavage of the Boc group to provide the advanced piperidine intermediate. The key feature of the synthesis is the highly selective SN2 displacement of the chiral mesylate of (R)-1-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)ethan-1-ol with the piperidine intermediate, followed by a chiral purity upgrade via the corresponding (1S)-(+)-camphorsulfonic acid salt. After standard hydrolysis of the methyl ester and CDI mediated amidation to couple the resulting acid with methanesulfonamide, enantiomerically pure GDC-0310 was obtained in high overall yield (37%) on a 6.5 kilogram scale.

A highly regioselective Mg-catalyzed alkylation of 3-substituted pyrazoles has been developed to provide N2-alkylated regioisomers. Using α-bromoacetates and acetamides as alkylating agents, this new method was applied to a variety of 3-substituted and 3,4-disubstituted pyrazoles to produce the N2-alkylated products with high regioselectivities ranging from 76:24 to 99:1 and 44–90% yields.

The development of a redesigned and improved second-generation synthesis of the Nav1.7 inhibitor GDC-0276 based on experience gained from a fit-for-purpose first-generation synthesis will be described. The first-generation synthesis proceeded via a regioselective SNAr reaction on the advanced starting material t-butyl 5-chloro-2,4-difluorobenzoate with 1-adamantanemethanol. In the newly developed second-generation synthesis, the much improved regioselective SNAr reaction was performed on the readily available starting material 1-chloro-2,4-difluorobenzene, followed by installation of the carboxylate group by electrophilic aromatic bromination and a palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation. A subsequent Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction was then telescoped directly into a phase-transfer-catalyzed ester hydrolysis. Amidation of the resulting acid intermediate with 1-azetidine sulfamide in turn provided GDC-0276 in high overall yield and purity on a 100 kg scale.

A practical convergent synthesis of PI3K inhibitor GDC-0908 (1) is described. The process features a dihydrobenzothienooxepine formation via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular direct C-H arylation and a Negishi coupling to construct the key C-C bonds. We further developed a general synthesis of dihydrobenzothienooxepines in good to excellent yields via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular direct C-H arylation, which tolerates both electronically and sterically diverse substituents on the phenyl ring.

Boronic acids and boronate esters are commonly used reagents in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling chemistry which are known to be weakly mutagenic in microbial assays. In this paper, we describe an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer method (ICP-MS) for the analysis of boron at low parts per million levels. Boronic acid and ester levels are then calculated stoichiometrically in a drug substance based on the determination of boron with good sensitivity (LOQ of 0.8 ppm). The paper outlines some of the important aspects of the method and instrument features such as use of organic diluent, spray chamber configuration, and its optimization which are critical for analysis of trace inorganic species in drug substances.

An improved, efficient process with a significantly reduced process mass intensity (PMI) led to the multikilogram synthesis of a brain penetrant PI3K inhibitor GDC-0084. Highlights of the synthesis include a phase transfer catalyzed annulation in water, an efficient Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of a chloropyrimidine with an arylboronic acid using a low palladium catalyst loading, and the development of a controlled crystallization to provide the API. The process delivered GDC-0084 with low levels of both impurities and residual metals.

GENE-A, a Nav1.7 inhibitor compound with analgesic activity, was developed as a crystalline anhydrate, for which two polymorphic forms, I and II, were discovered. The two forms were found to possess very similar free energies as determined experimentally with Form II being thermodynamically stable above 25 °C based on solubility measurements. A detailed solid-state characterization was conducted to determine the relative stability of these solid forms, and both thermodynamic and kinetic pathways (slurry bridging and crystallization) were evaluated. Form II was obtained as the final form in competitive slurries at RT. The outcome of crystallization experiments in terms of the solid form obtained was complicated and yielded variable results depending on the form of the starting material and that of the seeds. Form II was reproducibly obtained as the end product in unseeded experiments and in those with Form II as seeds and starting material, while Form I was obtained in all other seeded experiments. On the basis of the experimental data, a controlled crystallization strategy was developed, wherein Form II was used both as starting material and seeds to reproducibly obtain the desired form upon scale-up.

A process leading to the multikilogram GMP synthesis of Chk1 inhibitor GDC-0425 (1) was developed. Highlights of the synthesis include protection of the pyrrole ring of a 1,7-diazacarbazole as propyl ethyl ether, an efficient Pd catalyzed cyanation of an aryl chloride, aryl ether formation by SNAr fluoride displacement, and development of a controlled crystallization providing the API with the required polymorphic form. The process delivered high-quality GDC-0425 with low levels of impurities and residual metals in five steps and 31% overall yield.