Advances in drug potency and tailored therapeutics are promoting pharmaceutical manufacturing to transition from a traditional batch paradigm to more flexible continuous processing. Here we report the development of a multistep continuous-flow CGMP (current good manufacturing practices) process that produced 24 kilograms of prexasertib monolactate monohydrate suitable for use in human clinical trials. Eight continuous unit operations were conducted to produce the target at roughly 3 kilograms per day using small continuous reactors, extractors, evaporators, crystallizers, and filters in laboratory fume hoods. Success was enabled by advances in chemistry, engineering, analytical science, process modeling, and equipment design. Substantial technical and business drivers were identified, which merited the continuous process. The continuous process afforded improved performance and safety relative to batch processes and also improved containment of a highly potent compound.

A fully continuous process including an asymmetric hydrogenation reaction operating at 70 bar hydrogen, aqueous extraction, and crystallization was designed, developed, and demonstrated at pilot scale. This paper highlights safety, quality, and throughput advantages of the continuous reaction and separations unit operations. Production of 144 kg of product was accomplished in laboratory fume hoods and a laboratory hydrogenation bunker over two continuous campaigns. Maximum continuous flow vessel size in the lab hoods was 22 L glassware, and maximum plug flow tube reactor (PFR) size in the bunker was 73 L. The main safety advantages of running the hydrogenation reaction continuous rather than batch were that the flow reactor was smaller for the same throughput and, more importantly, the tubular hydrogenation reactor ran 95% liquid filled at steady state. Therefore, the amount of hydrogen in the reactor at any one time was less than that of batch. A two-stage mixed suspension–mixed product removal (MSMPR) c...

The design, synthesis, and biological characterization of an orally active prodrug (3) of gemcitabine are described. Additionally, the identification of a novel co-crystal solid form of the compound is presented. Valproate amide 3 is orally bioavailable and releases gemcitabine into the systemic circulation after passing through the intestinal mucosa. The compound has entered clinical trials and is being evaluated as a potential new anticancer agent.

This article describes chemistry that was developed to give access to multigram quantities of imidazole 479754 and several related analogues for Eli Lilly's p38 MAPK program targeting therapies to address inflammation. The molecules of interest have an isopropyl sulfonyl group present on the 2-aminobenzimidazole heterocycyle that was found to be labile when heated in polar solvents and/or exposed to high or low pH. Due to this instability issue, the syntheses of the target molecules required optimizing Sonogashira reaction conditions, employing a buffered oxidative method to produce α-diones, developing buffered reaction conditions to generate imidazoles, and developing final recrystallization conditions.

This article describes the development and optimization of chemical reactions and subsequent preparation of the API LY503430 under cGMPs to fund first human dose (FHD) clinical evaluation as a potential therapeutic agent for Parkinson's disease. Reasons and rationale are presented for changes in solvents and reagents. One of the major developments presented here is the replacement of a chiral chromatography with a diastereomeric salt resolution. This article also discusses a preferred orientation issue with LY503430 which complicated the XRPD analysis.