Multicomponent Synthesis of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitor Nirmatrelvir
Hans D. Preschel, Ruben T. Otte, Ying Zhuo, Rebecca E. Ruscoe, Ashleigh J. Burke, Rachel Kellerhals, Brendan Horst, Sven Hennig, Elwin Janssen, Anthony P. Green, Nicholas J. Turner, Eelco Ruijter
Abstract
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become clear that global access to efficacious antiviral drugs will be critical to combat future outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 or related viruses. The orally available SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor nirmatrelvir has proven an effective treatment option for Covid-19, especially in compromised patients. We report a new synthesis of nirmatrelvir featuring a highly enantioselective biocatalytic desymmetrization (>99% ee) and a highly diastereoselective multicomponent reaction (>25:1 dr) as the key steps. Our route avoids the use of transition metals and peptide coupling reagents, resulting in an overall highly efficient and atom-economic process.