Exploratory Process Development of Pexidartinib through the Tandem Tsuji–Trost Reaction and Heck Coupling

Abstract

A novel synthetic route to CSF1R inhibitor pexidartinib was designed and demonstrated. Crucial to the successful synthesis is a tandem Tsuji–Trost reaction and Heck coupling in combination with palladium and silver catalysis. The final product was obtained via five steps in 49% yield with purity as high as 99.2%. The cheap and available materials and reagents and easy operations for workup and purification make this route more practical.