Teva Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals S.r.l.

Alessandra Vailati

Eugenio Castelli

Stefano Bianchi

Paola Daverio

Silvia Mantovani

Paolo Riva

Giuseppe Lo Monaco

The present invention provides improved processes for the preparation of atomoxetine hydrochloride under reaction conditions that improve reaction yields and facilitate commercial synthesis. In particular, the invention is directed to the synthesis of atomoxetine HCl by adding HCl to a mixture of (R)-(&#x2212;)-tomoxetine (S)-(+)-mandelate with an organic solvent, with or without a base and water.

Process for the preparation of atomoxetine hydrochloride

The present invention provides isolated N-methyl-3-(3-methylphenoxy)-3-phenylpropylamine hydrochloride, and preparation thereof as well as of N-methyl-3-(4-methylphenoxy)-3-phenylpropylamine hydrochloride and of N-methyl-3-phenoxy-3-phenylpropylamine hydrochloride. The invention further provides the use of the above compounds as reference markers and/or reference standards during the synthesis of Atomoxetine. Also provided is a method of limiting the amounts of the impurities 3FT (3-fluorotoluene), 4FT (4-fluorotoluene), and FB (fluorobenzene) in the 2-fluorotoluene starting material used in the synthesis of Atomoxetine Hydrochloride. The purity of the Atomoxetine Hydrochloride product is ensured by determining the amounts of 3FT, 4FT, and FB in the 2-fluorotoluene starting material with the marker 3-ATM HCl.

Isolated atomoxetine impurity, processes for the preparation of atomoxetine impurities and their use as reference standards

Provided are processes for preparing tomoxetine comprising reacting N-methyl-3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropylamine with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and 2-fluorotoluene in the presence of an alkali base to form tomoxetine. Also provided is the conversion of said tomoxetine into atomoxetine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Processes for the preparation of tomoxetine

The present invention provides a process for the optical resolution of racemic tomoxetine under reaction conditions that improve reaction yields and optical purity. The invention also provides an epimerization process for the (S)-(+) enantiomer. The invention further provides the conversion of the enantiomer obtained from the optical resolution into atomoxetine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

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Seregno, Italy

Alessandra Vailati