Discovery and Development of an Efficient Process to Atovaquone

Abstract

The discovery and development of an efficient and more sustainable manufacturing route to the anti-pneumocystic agent atovaquone (2-((1 R,4 R )-4-(4-chlorophenyl)cyclohexyl)-3-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione) 1 is described. The existing commercial route to atovaquone delivers a poor yield of product and uses expensive reagents. The new synthesis commences with readily available phthalic anhydride, which is converted to 1,4-isochromandione 5 and then to atovaquone 1 by reaction with 4-(4-chlorophenyl)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid 3 using key bromination, Rosenmund reduction, and rearrangement chemistries. Downstream processing to atovaquone is both high yielding and robust, and the resulting process has been demonstrated on 200-kg scale. The process is simple, uses cheap raw materials, and is more sustainable in that it avoids low-yielding silver-promoted chemistry and isomerisation procedures. It includes a robust, facile, and highly efficient procedure to 1,4-isochromandione 5, and routes to 4-(4-chlorophenyl)cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde 9 have also been developed, including a Rosenmund method that was demonstrated on pilot-plant scale. Also discussed are the route-derived impurities and processing amendments to control their formation.