Synthesis of a CGRP Receptor Antagonist via an Asymmetric Synthesis of 3-Fluoro-4-aminopiperidine.

A practical and efficient enantioselective synthesis of the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist 1 has been developed. The key structural component of the active pharmaceutical ingredient is a syn-1,2-amino-fluoropiperidine 4. Two approaches were developed to synthesize this important pharmacophore. Initially, Ru-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of fluoride-substituted enamide 8 enabled the synthesis of sufficient quantities of compound 1 to support early preclinical studies. Subsequently, a novel, cost-effective route to this intermediate was developed utilizing a dynamic kinetic asymmetric transamination of ketone 9. This synthesis also features a robust Ullmann coupling to install a bis-aryl ether using a soluble Cu(I) catalyst. Finally, an enzymatic desymmetrization of meso-diester 7 was exploited for the construction of the γ-lactam moiety in 1.

A novel compact mass detection platform for the open access (OA) environment in drug discovery and early development.

A new 'compact mass detector' co-developed with an instrument manufacturer (Waters Corporation) as an interface for liquid chromatography (LC), specifically Ultra-high performance LC(®) (UPLC(®) or UHPLC) analysis was evaluated as a potential new Open Access (OA) LC-MS platform in the Drug Discovery and Early Development space. This new compact mass detector based platform was envisioned to provide increased reliability and speed while exhibiting significant cost, noise, and footprint reductions. The new detector was evaluated in batch mode (typically 1-3 samples per run) to monitor reactions and check purity, as well as in High Throughput Screening (HTS) mode to run 24, 48, and 96 well plates. The latter workflows focused on screening catalysis conditions, process optimization, and library work. The objective of this investigation was to assess the performance, reliability, and flexibility of the compact mass detector in the OA setting for a variety of applications. The compact mass detector results were compared to those obtained by current OA LC-MS systems, and the capabilities and benefits of the compact mass detector in the open access setting for chemists in the drug discovery and development space are demonstrated.

Discovery of MK-8970: an acetal carbonate prodrug of raltegravir with enhanced colonic absorption.

Developing new antiretroviral therapies for HIV-1 infection with potential for less frequent dosing represents an important goal within drug discovery. Herein, we present the discovery of ethyl (1-((4-((4-fluorobenzyl)carbamoyl)-1-methyl-2-(2-(5-methyl- 1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-carboxamido)propan-2-yl)-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyrimidin-5-yl)oxy)ethyl) carbonate (MK-8970), a highly optimized prodrug of raltegravir (Isentress). Raltegravir is a small molecule HIV integrase strand-transfer inhibitor approved for the treatment of HIV infection with twice-daily administration. Two classes of prodrugs were designed to have enhanced colonic absorption, and derivatives were evaluated in pharmacokinetic studies, both in vitro and in vivo in different species, ultimately leading to the identification of MK-8970 as a suitable candidate for development as an HIV therapeutic with the potential to require less frequent administration while maintaining the favorable efficacy, tolerability, and minimal drug-drug interaction profile of raltegravir.

A convenient one-pot synthesis of 1,8-naphthyridones.

In this paper, we disclose an efficient one-pot procedure for the preparation of substituted 1,8-naphthyridin-4-one analogues. Previous efforts to effect this type of transformation were complicated by the formation of benzene tricarboxylate. Via the use of excess base, the impurity formation was completely inhibited. This allowed for the clean preparation of the desired intermediate and subsequent formation of naphthyridone analogues in a single flask, which could then be crystallized directly from the reaction mixture in good yield and high purity.