Convergent Kilo-Scale Synthesis of a Potent Renin Inhibitor for the Treatment of Hypertension

Process research and development of a synthetic route towards a novel renin inhibitor (1) is described. The highly convergent synthetic route provided 1 in 15% yield on multikilogram scale with a longest linear sequence of 11 steps. The use of catalytic hydrogenation features prominently in our design. The proper choice of N-methylpyridone surrogate was also important, and we describe a method for the easy conversion of 2-methoxypyridines to N-methylpyridones using cheap and readily available reagents.