SI9700202A - Process for manufacturing simvastatin from lovastatin or mevinolinic acid - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for preparing simvastatin from lovastatin or mevinolinic acid in salt form comprises treating either starting material with cyclopropyl or butyl amide, the pyranone ring thereby being opened when lovastatin is the starting material, adding a methyl group to the 2-methylbutyrate side chain, and thereafter closing the open pyranone ring to produce simvastatin. The process is performed without protecting and deprotecting the two hydroxy groups of the open pyranone ring. In a preferred embodiment, the starting material is treated with cyclopropyl amine which produces simvastatin via the novel intermediate lovastatin cyclopropyl amide.

Description

PROCEDURE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SIMVASTATIN FROM LOVASTATIN

BUT MEVINOLINIC ACIDS

Link to related application

This patent application is related to patent application P-9700203, which is entitled Key Intermediates in the manufacture of simvastatin and was filed with the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The compounds of the structural formula I shown below are highly active antihypercholesterolemic agents that act to limit cholesterol biosynthesis by inhibiting the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme.

Compounds of structural formula I comprise the natural fermentation products of mevinolin (structural formula Ia, where R = CH3, disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,231,938, known as lovastatin), compactin (structural formula Ib, where R = H, shown U.S. Patent No. 3,983,140), and a group of their semi-synthetic and fully synthetic analogues, all of which have a naturally occurring 2-methylbutyrate side chain.

The compounds of structural formula II shown below have a 2,2-dimethylbutyrate side chain (i.e., simvastatin, an Ila structure where R = CH 3) are known to be more active HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors than their 2-methylbutyrate analogs, and have thus, greater utility in the treatment of atherosclerosis, hyperlipemia, familial hypercholesterolemia, and similar disorders.

The recent market launch of simvastatin (Ila), a more potent HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor than lovastatin - (1a), has led to the need for a more efficient process that is more cost effective and more environmentally friendly than those known in the art.

Compounds of structural formula II (i.e., simvastatin), with a 2,2-dimethylbutyrate side chain, and processes for their preparation have already been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,784 and EPO published Patent Application No. 33538. The process disclosed in said documents involves four separate chemical steps:

1. de-esterification of the 2-methylbutyrate side chain;

2. protection of the 4-hydroxy group of the pyranone ring;

3. re-esterification of the side chain to form the desired 2,2-dimethylbutyrate; ter

4. Deprotection of the 4-hydroxy group.

This route is slow, yielding poor returns.

Simvastatin was also prepared by α-alkylation of the ester moiety as previously described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,915 and 4,820,850.

U.S. Patent No. 4,582,915 (1986) discloses direct methylation of the natural 2- (S) -methylbutyryloxy side chain of mevinolin in a single chemical step using a metal alkyl amide and methyl halide to obtain simvastatin.

This process, however, has a poor conversion ratio of the C-methylation step. In addition, many side reactions occur due to methylation at other sites of the molecule. The C-methylation conversion ratio can be improved to some extent by the second or third charge of the amide base and methyl halide. Even with this, the overall returns are very modest. Likewise, the purity of the simvastatin thus obtained is almost at the limit still permitted for use as a human health care product.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,850 (1989) illustrates a process where high conversion C-methylation of the 2- (S) -methylbutyryloxy side chain of mevinoline occurs with a single charge of an amide base and an alkyl halide. The process described in this patent covers six steps and is not economical as it involves the protection and deprotection of two hydroxyl groups of the lovastatin butylamide intermediate using the expensive silylate, tertbutyldimethylsilyl chloride.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a new process and novel intermediates for the preparation of simvastatin (Ha). The new process can be described by the following reaction scheme:

(a) R ₃ = Butti (< ^b ) Rj ~ - <] (a) R3 = Butti!

(b) R ₃ = - <]

lla

V

The main features of the present invention are:

a) Simvastatin can be prepared from a salt of mevinolinic acid, which is used as a starting material and used instead of lovastatin

b) Simvastatin is prepared in a four-step process, but does not involve the protection and deprotection of two hydroxyl groups of the open pyranone ring. Therefore, the methods described so far in the preceding procedures require the protection and deprotection of hydroxy groups as essential steps for the preparation of simvastatin.

c) In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a new lovastatin cyclopropyl amide intermediate (Illb) is prepared from starting material (lovastatin or a form of mevinolic acid). This new intermediate is then converted to another new intermediate (IVb).

Simvastatin prepared by the new process has some advantages in commercial manufacture. The purity and yield of simvastatin by this process are high, with less reagent consumption, time, labor, and lower costs, but in fewer steps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The starting material for the method of the present invention is lovastatin (Ia) or mevinolinic acid (Ic), the latter being an open ring form of lovastatin. Mevinolic acid is made by fermentation of Aspergillus terreus (see U.S. Pat.

No. 4,231,938). Lovastatin (1a) or a salt of mevinolinic acid (Ic) will typically be used as starting material. The term mevinolic acid, unless otherwise indicated, includes suitable forms of its salts; any salt which is not miscible with the other reagents or conditions used to carry out the present invention is permitted. For example, alkali metal salts such as Na and K may also be used, or preferably ammonium salt forms.

Lovastatin is obtained from mevinolinic acid by lactonization, which is performed by methods already known in the art, and then isolated by crystallization techniques that cause loss of material. This results in about 20% of the loss of material that results from the conversion of natural mevinolic acid to lovastatin. One of the objects of the present invention is also the elimination of this loss by using lovastatin instead of mevinolinic acid as starting material.

According to this new process of the present invention, simvastatin (Ha) is prepared by reaction between lovastatin (Ia) or mevinolinic acid (Ic), preferably in the form of an ammonium salt, with n-alkylamine or cycloalkylamine of formula R3-NH2, where R3 equal to C3-C6. Preferably, the amine R3-NH2 is n-butylamine, and the intermediate to be formed is lovastatin n-butylamide (lilac). The cyclic amide, intermediate, lilac or Illb thus prepared is dissolved in dry tetrahydrofuran (THF) and added to a solution of an alkali metal amide, i.e. lithium pyrrolidide in THF at a temperature from about -35 ° C to -40 ° C. Lithium pyrrolidide is generated in situ by the reaction of n-BuLi with pyrrolidine in THF. The solution of the lilac or Illb intermediate amide in in situ generated base was allowed to stand at -35 ° C to -40 ° C for 1 hour, and then the dried alkyl halide, preferably methyl iodide (2 to 3.5 molar equivalents), was added with a single charge. The contents were then stirred at -30 ° C for 1 hour, heated to -10 ° C and allowed to stand for 20 minutes at this temperature. Water was then added to the reaction mixture and the layers separated. The THF layer is washed with a mineral acid, preferably hydrochloric acid, and then concentrated to an oil containing IVa or IVb.

To the solution of intermediate IVa or IVb in methanol without purification was added 2.0 N NaOH, then refluxed for a total of 2 to 6 hours at a temperature of 80 ° C to 81 ° C, preferably only 2 hours. The mixture was then cooled to 50 ° C and the methanol was removed under reduced pressure and then diluted with water. The mixture was then acidified at about 10 ° C by carefully adding 2.0 N HCl while maintaining the pH of 6, followed by extraction with ethyl acetate while further acidifying to pH 4. The ethyl acetate layer was then separated and the hydrolyzed product separated. is precipitated as a crystalline material in the form of ammonium salt (V) by slow addition of methanolic ammonium hydroxide for 30 minutes at about 22 ° -25 ° C, followed by cooling to 5 ° C.

The ammonium salt (V) is then lactonized again by heating in a hydrocarbon solvent such as toluene. The mixture is then suspended in toluene, heated and stirred at about 100 ° 110 ° C for 2 to 10 hours, preferably at about 105 ° C for 5 hours, with a rapid transition of nitrogen gas. The mixture was then cooled to about 35 ° C, treated with carbon, filtered, and then the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure at a bath temperature of about 60 ° C to one-tenth of the original volume. Lactone was crystallized from a hydrocarbon solvent such as cyclohexane to obtain high purity simvastatin (Ha).

In the most preferred embodiment of the new process of the present invention, mevinolic acid (Ic) in the form of an ammonium salt is used as starting material and then converted to lovastatin cyclopropylamide (Illb). The mevinolinic acid is suspended in toluene and refluxed for 5-6 hours at approx. 100 ⁰ -110 ° C, preferably at ca. 105 ° -107 ° C. The resulting solution is concentrated to one-tenth of its original volume by distillation of toluene under reduced pressure at a bath temperature of approx. 50 ° -55 ° C. At 30 ° C, cyclopropylamine was added and the mixture was heated again for approx. 4-5 hours. 40 ° 50 ° C. Toluene and unreacted cyclopropylamine under reduced pressure are removed by distillation to obtain lovastatin cyclopropylamide (Illb) in quantitative yield. The cyclic amide thus obtained is used as such without further purification in a further step of C-methylation in a similar manner as described above without the protection of the dihydroxy system to give simvastatin (Ha).

The following examples further illustrate the present invention:

Example 1

Preparation of simvastatin (Ha) from the ammonium salt of mevinolinic acid (Ib) using cyclopropylamine

Step-1: N-Cyclopropyl-7- (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 8a (R) hexahydro-2 (S) amide, 6 (R) -dimethyl-8 (S) - ((2 (S ) methylbutanoyl) oxy) -1 (S) -naphthyl) -3 (R), 5 (R) dihydroxyheptanoic acid (Illb)

The ammonium salt of mevinolinic acid (Ic) (12.5 g, 0.296 mol) was suspended in toluene (400 ml). The mixture was heated and stirred at 105-107 ° C with a rapid transition of nitrogen gas for 5 hours. The temperature was then lowered to 60 ° C, then distilled off about 350 ml of toluene. Cyclopropylamine (12 ml, 0.172 mol) was then added at 30 ° C and the solution was again stirred at 40-45 ° C for 4 hours. The toluene was then slowly removed under reduced pressure and at a bath temperature of 55 ° C to give the title compound as a gum. HPLC purity = 99.63%; 1 H NMR (CDCl ₃ , 300 Mhz): σ 0.495 (m, 2H), σ 0.50 (m, 2H), σ 0.86 (m, 6H), σ 1.08 (m, 6H), σ 2.3 (d, 2H) , σ 2.6 (m, 1H), σ 3.7 (m, 1H), σ 4.18 (m, 1H), σ 5.4 (m, 1H), σ 5.5 (bt, J = 3.0Hz, 1H), σ 5.7 (dd , J = 6.1, 9.5 Hz, 1H), σ 5.9 (d, J = 9.6 Hz ·, 1H), σ 6.2 (bt, J = 5.3 Hz, 1H); IR (CHC1 ₃ ): Xmax 3500-3300 (b), 3000, 1740, 1660, 1530, 1450, 1210, 860, 760 cm ^-1 .

This rubber was then used directly in the next step, without purification.

Step-2: N-Cyclopropyl-7- (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 8a (R) hexahydro-2 (S) amide, 6 (R) -dimethyl-8 (S) - ((2,2 -Dimethylbutanoyl) oxy) -1 (S) -naphthyl-3 (R), 5 (R) -dihydroxyheptanoic acid (Ivb)

Pyrrolodine (13.5 ml, 0.163 mol) in THF (50 ml) was cooled to -45 ° C, then n-butyl lithium hexane (1.6 M,

100 ml, 0.163 moles) under nitrogen in such a quantity that the temperature was maintained from -20 ° C to -15 ° C. The mixture was then stirred at -20 ° C to -25 ° C for 40 minutes after the addition was complete.

A solution of the Hib compound in THF (300 ml) was prepared as described above and then slowly added to the tube, maintaining the temperature below -35 ° C throughout the addition process. The solution was then allowed to stand at -35 ° C to -40 ° C for 1 hour. Methyl iodide-dried (4.82 ml, 0.077 mol) was added in a single step. The whitish opaque solution thus obtained was stirred for 1 hour at -35 ° C, then warmed to -10 ° C and allowed to stand for 20 minutes. Distilled water (105 ml) was added and the contents were then stirred vigorously for 5 minutes. The layers were then separated from each other, after which the upper THF layer was treated with IN HCl (105 ml). The THF layer was concentrated under reduced pressure to a volume of 40 ml to give the title compound Ivb, where R3 was cyclopropyl.

Step-3: 6 (R) - (2- (8 (S) - (2,2-dimethylbutyryloxy) -2 (S), 6 (R) dimethyl-1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 8a (R ) -hexahydro-1 (S) -naphthyl) ethyl) 4 (R) -hydroxy-3,4,4,6-tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-one (Ila) (Simvastatin)

To a concentrated solution of the previous step containing compound IVb was added an aqueous solution of NaOH (2N, 25 ml) and MeOH (175 ml). The mixture was refluxed at 80 ° -81 ° C for two hours. The mixture was then cooled to 50 ° C, the maximum amount of MeOH was then scraped under reduced pressure and then further diluted with water (90 ml). The solution was then acidified at 10 ° C with the careful addition of 2N Hcl (pH 6).

Ethyl acetate (200 ml) was added to the mixture and then strongly agitated during further acidification to pH 4. The ethyl acetate layer was then separated from the aqueous layer. A solution of NH ₄ OH and MeOH (1: 1, 10 ml) was slowly added over 22 minutes at 22 ° -25 ° C. The precipitates were then stirred at 25 ° C for 1.5 hours, then cooled to 5 ° C and stirred at this temperature for another 30 minutes. The filtration was followed by washing with cold ethyl acetate (25 ml) and drying in vacuo at 35 ° C to give the ammonium salt (V).

The crude ammonium salt (V) from the previous step (10g, 0.022 moles) was suspended in toluene (350 ml). The mixture was then heated and stirred at 105 ° C with a rapid transition of nitrogen gas for 5 hours. The solution was then cooled to 35 ° C, then activated charcoal (0.5 g) was added, stirred for 0.35 hours, and then filtered through a bed of Celite brand diatomaceous earth. The filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to a volume of 40 ml at 60 ° C bath temperature. Cyclohexane (125 ml) was then added, the solution refluxed for 15 minutes, cooled to 25 ° C for 1 hour, and then cooled to 10 ° 12 ° C for 30 minutes. The precipitates were then stirred at 10 ° C-12 ° C for 30 minutes, filtered and then washed with cold cyclohexane (50 ml), dried in vacuo at 35 ° C to give a white crystalline product (Ha), which was then further crystallized from absolute ethanol to give the title compound with> 99% purity.

Example II

Preparation of Simvastatin (Iia) from lovastatin (Ia) using cyclopropylamine.

Step-1: N-Cyclopropyl-7- (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 8a (R) hexahydro-2 (S), 6 (R) -dimethyl-8) amide amide) - (2 (S) -methylbutanoyl) oxy) 1 (S) -naphthyl) -3 (R), 5 (R) -dihydroxyheptanoic acid (Illb) Lovastatin (1a) (12.5 g, 0.03 mol) was suspended in cyclopropylamine (13 ml, 0.174 mol) at 25 ° C. The mixture was then slowly warmed to 40-45 ° C and then stirred at this temperature for 5 hours. The excess amine was allowed to evaporate under reduced pressure at a bath temperature of 40 ° C to give the title compound as a gum. This rubber was then used in the next step directly, without purification.

Step 2-3: The compound (Illb) obtained from the previous step was converted to simvastatin (Ha) by the same procedure as described for Example I.

Examples III and IV

Preparation of simvastatin (Ha) from lovastatin (Ia) and the ammonium salt of mevinolinic acid (Ic) using n-butylamine

Simvastatin (Ha) was prepared from lovastatin (Ia) and the ammonium salt of mevinolinic acid (Ic), which served as starting materials by following the same sequential steps already described in Examples I and II, in that we substituted equimolar amounts of n-butylamine instead of cyclopropylamine.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to certain drawings, the foregoing drawings are for illustration purposes only. Many other alternative embodiments which are still within the scope of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

for

19, Nehru Wages, New Del

RANBAXY LABORATORS

Representative: Yes

Claims (20)

PATENT APPLICATIONS A process for making a compound of the structural formula Ha characterized in that it comprises a) treating a compound of structural formula I ': I 'where R is: And R ₂ is H, Na, K or NH ₄ , with an alkyl amine having the formula R 3 NH 2, wherein R _{3 is a} C ₃ -C 6 n-alkyl or cycloalkyl group to give the compound of formula III: ΙΠ b) treating said compound of structural formula III with a methylating agent to obtain a compound of structural formula IV wherein R ₃ is as defined above c) removing the R ₃ group and closing the pyranone ring of said group of structural formula IV to give said compound of structural formula Ha. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that step c is carried out without protection or deprotection of the hydroxy groups of the open pyranone ring of said compound of structural formula IV. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that step c is carried out by treating said compound of structural formula IV with a base in order to cleave the R ₃ group, and then the resulting compound is heated in an organic solvent to give said compound with a structural formula Ha. Process according to claim 3, characterized in that the R ₃ group is cleaved by treating said compound of structural formula IV with a strong base, followed by treatment with ammonium hydroxide to give a compound of structural formula V: The process according to claim 4, characterized in that said strong base is sodium hydroxide. Process according to claim 3, characterized in that said organic solvent is toluene. A process according to claim 1, characterized in that R _{3 is a} cyclopropyl group. A process according to claim 1, characterized in that R _{3 is a} n-butyl group. 9. A process according to claim 1, wherein said methylating agent is methine halide. A process according to claim 9, characterized in that the methylating agent is methinium iodide. A process according to claim 9, characterized in that said compound of structural formula III is treated with said methyl halide in the presence of a base. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said base is lithium pyrrolidide. 13. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that R 2 is the same as NH _4th 14. A process for the preparation of a compound of the structural formula Ha: characterized in that it comprises a) treating a compound of structural formula I ': where R is equal to: R ₂ is H, Na, K or NH ₄ , with cyclopropyl amine to give the compound of structural formula III; III wherein R _{3 is a} cyclopropyl group; b) treating said compound of structural formula III with methyl halide to give a compound of structural formula IV: wherein R 3 is as defined above; c) removing said R3 group and closing the open pyranone ring of a compound of structural formula IV to give said compound of structural formula Ha. 15. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that R 2 is the same as NH _4th 16. A process according to claim 14, wherein said methyl halide is methyl iodide. Process according to claim 16, characterized in that said compound of structural formula III is treated with methyl iodide in the presence of lithium pyrrolidide. 18. The process of claim 14, wherein step c is carried out by treating said compound of structural formula IV with a base, followed by heating in an organic solvent. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said base comprises sodium hydroxide followed by ammonium hydroxide. 20. A process according to claim 18, wherein said organic solvent is toluene.