Abacavir (ABC) is a medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.^[1][2] Similar to other nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), abacavir is used together with other HIV medications, and is not recommended by itself.^[3] It is taken by mouth as a tablet or solution and may be used in children over the age of three months.^[1][4]

Abacavir is generally well tolerated.^[4] Common side effects include vomiting, trouble sleeping, fever, and feeling tired.^[1] More severe side effects include hypersensitivity, liver damage, and lactic acidosis.^[1] Genetic testing can indicate whether a person is at higher risk of developing hypersensitivity.^[1] Symptoms of hypersensitivity include rash, vomiting, and shortness of breath.^[4] Abacavir is in the NRTI class of medications, which work by blocking reverse transcriptase, an enzyme needed for HIV virus replication.^[5] Within the NRTI class, abacavir is a carbocyclic nucleoside.^[1]

Abacavir was patented in 1988 and approved for use in the United States in 1998.^[6][7] It is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system.^[8] It is available as a generic medication.^[1] The wholesale cost in the developing world as of 2014 is between US$0.36 and US$0.83 per day.^[9] As of 2016 the wholesale cost for a typical month of medication in the United States is US$70.50.^[10] Commonly, abacavir is sold together with other HIV medications, such as abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine, abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine, and abacavir/lamivudine.^[4][5]

Medical uses

Abacavir tablets and oral solution, in combination with other antiretroviral agents, are indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

Abacavir should always be used in combination with other antiretroviral agents. Abacavir should not be added as a single agent when antiretroviral regimens are changed due to loss of virologic response.

Side effects

Common adverse reactions include nausea, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping. Rare but serious side effects include hypersensitivity reaction or rash, elevated AST and ALT, depression, anxiety, fever/chills, URI, lactic acidosis, hypertriglyceridemia, and lipodystrophy.^[11]

People with liver disease should be cautious about using abacavir because it can aggravate the condition. Signs of liver problems include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, dark-colored urine and yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. The use of nucleosidedrugs such as abacavir can very rarely cause lactic acidosis. Signs of lactic acidosis include fast or irregular heartbeat, unusual muscle pain, fatigue, difficulty breathing and stomach pain with nausea and vomiting.^[12] Abacavir can also lead to immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, a change in body fat as well as an increased risk of heart attack.

Resistance to abacavir has developed in laboratory versions of HIV which are also resistant to other HIV-specific antiretrovirals such as lamivudine, didanosine, and zalcitabine. HIV strains that are resistant to protease inhibitors are not likely to be resistant to abacavir.

Abacavir is contraindicated for use in infants under 3 months of age.

Little is known about the effects of Abacavir overdose. Overdose victims should be taken to a hospital emergency room for treatment.

Hypersensitivity syndrome

Hypersensitivity to abacavir is strongly associated with a specific allele at the human leukocyte antigen B locus namely HLA-B*5701.^[13][14][15] There is an association between the prevalence of HLA-B*5701 and ancestry. The prevalence of the allele is estimated to be 3.4 to 5.8 percent on average in populations of European ancestry, 17.6 percent in Indian Americans, 3.0 percent in Hispanic Americans, and 1.2 percent in Chinese Americans.^[16][17] There is significant variability in the prevalence of HLA-B*5701 among African populations. In African Americans, the prevalence is estimated to be 1.0 percent on average, 0 percent in the Yorubafrom Nigeria, 3.3 percent in the Luhya from Kenya, and 13.6 percent in the Masai from Kenya, although the average values are derived from highly variable frequencies within sample groups.^[18]

Common symptoms of abacavir hypersensitivity syndrome include fever, malaise, nausea, and diarrhea. Some patients may also develop a skin rash.^[19] Symptoms of AHS typically manifest within six weeks of treatment using abacavir, although they may be confused with symptoms of HIV, immune reconstitution syndrome, hypersensitivity syndromes associated with other drugs, or infection.^[20] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an alert concerning abacavir and abacavir-containing medications on July 24, 2008,^[21] and the FDA-approved drug label for abacavir recommends pre-therapy screening for the HLA-B*5701 allele and the use of alternative therapy in subjects with this allele.^[22] Additionally, both the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium and the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group recommend use of an alternative therapy in individuals with the HLA-B*5701 allele.^[23][24]

Skin-patch testing may also be used to determine whether an individual will experience a hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir, although some patients susceptible to developing AHS may not react to the patch test.^[25]

The development of suspected hypersensitivity reactions to abacavir requires immediate and permanent discontinuation of abacavir therapy in all patients, including patients who do not possess the HLA-B*5701 allele. On March 1, 2011, the FDA informed the public about an ongoing safety review of abacavir and a possible increased risk of heart attack associated with the drug. A meta-analysis of 26 studies conducted by the FDA, however, did not find any association between abacavir use and heart attack ^[26][27]

Immunopathogenesis

The mechanism underlying abacavir hypersensitivity syndrome is related to the change in the HLA-B*5701 protein product. Abacavir binds with high specificity to the HLA-B*5701 protein, changing the shape and chemistry of the antigen-binding cleft. This results in a change in immunological tolerance and the subsequent activation of abacavir-specific cytotoxic T cells, which produce a systemic reaction known as abacavir hypersensitivity syndrome.^[28]

Interaction

Abacavir, and in general NRTIs, do not undergo hepatic metabolism and therefore have very limited (to none) interaction with the CYP enzymes and drugs that effect these enzymes. That being said there are still few interactions that can affect the absorption or the availability of abacavir. Below are few of the common established drug and food interaction that can take place during abacavir co-administration:

• Protease inhibitors such as tipranavir or ritonovir may decrease the serum concentration of abacavir through induction of glucuronidation. Abacavir is metabolized by both alcohol dehydrogenase and glucuronidation.^[29][30]
• Ethanol may result in increased levels of abacavir through the inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase. Abacavir is metabolized by both alcohol dehydrogenase and glucuronidation.^[29][31]
• Methadone may diminish the therapeutic effect of Abacavir. Abacavir may decrease the serum concentration of Methadone.^[32][33]
• Orlistat may decrease the serum concentration of antiretroviral drugs. The mechanism of this interaction is not fully established but it is suspected that it is due to the decreased absorption of abacavir by orlistat.^[34]
• Cabozantinib: Drugs from the MPR2 inhibitor (Multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 inhibitors) family such as abacavir could increase the serum concentration of Cabozantinib.^[35]

Mechanism of action

Abacavir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that inhibits viral replication. It is a guanosine analogue that is phosphorylated to carbovir triphosphate (CBV-TP). CBV-TP competes with the viral molecules and is incorporated into the viral DNA. Once CBV-TP is integrated into the viral DNA, transcription and HIV reverse transcriptase is inhibited.^[36]

Pharmacokinetics

Abacavir is given orally and is rapidly absorbed with a high bioavailability of 83%. Solution and tablet have comparable concentrations and bioavailability. Abacavir can be taken with or without food.

Abacavir can cross the blood-brain barrier. Abacavir is metabolized primarily through the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and glucuronyl transferase to an inactive carboxylate and glucuronide metabolites. It has a half-life of approximately 1.5-2.0 hours. If a person has liver failure, abacavir’s half life is increased by 58%.

Abacavir is eliminated via excretion in the urine (83%) and feces (16%). It is unclear whether abacavir can be removed by hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.^[36]

History

Robert Vince and Susan Daluge along with Mei Hua, a visiting scientist from China, developed the medication in the ’80s.^[37][38][39]

Abacavir was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 18, 1998, and is thus the fifteenth approved antiretroviral drug in the United States. Its patent expired in the United States on 2009-12-26.

Synthesis

References

Chemical structure of abacavir

{(1S,4R)-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]cyclopent-2-en-1-yl}methanol

(-)-cis-4-[2-Amino-6-(cyclopropylmethylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1-methanol

(1S, 4R)-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H purin-9-yl]-2- cyclopentene-1 -methanol

136470-78-5

Abacavir

Abacavir (ABC) is a powerful nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) used to treat HIV and AIDS. [Wikipedia] Chemically, it is a synthetic carbocyclic nucleoside and is the enantiomer with 1S, 4R absolute configuration on the cyclopentene ring. In vivo, abacavir sulfate dissociates to its free base, abacavir.

Brief background information

Systematic (IUPAC) name
{(1S,4R)-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]cyclopent-2-en-1-yl}methanol
Clinical data
Trade names	Ziagen
AHFS/Drugs.com	monograph
MedlinePlus	a699012
Pregnancy cat.	B3 (AU) C (US)
Legal status	POM (UK) ℞-only (US)
Routes	Oral (solution or tablets)
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	83%
Metabolism	Hepatic
Half-life	1.54 ± 0.63 h
Excretion	Renal (1.2% abacavir, 30% 5′-carboxylic acid metabolite, 36% 5′-glucuronide metabolite, 15% unidentified minor metabolites). Fecal (16%)
Identifiers
CAS number	136470-78-5
ATC code	J05AF06
PubChem	CID 441300
DrugBank	DB01048
ChemSpider	390063
UNII	WR2TIP26VS
KEGG	D07057
ChEBI	CHEBI:421707
ChEMBL	CHEMBL1380
NIAID ChemDB	028596
Chemical data
Formula	C14H18N6O
Mol. mass	286.332 g/mol

 Abacavir is a carbocyclic synthetic nucleoside analogue and an antiviral agent. Intracellularly, abacavir is converted by cellular enzymes to the active metabolite carbovir triphosphate, an analogue of deoxyguanosine-5′-triphosphate (dGTP). Carbovir triphosphate inhibits the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) both by competing with the natural substrate dGTP and by its incorporation into viral DNA. Viral DNA growth is terminated because the incorporated nucleotide lacks a 3′-OH group, which is needed to form the 5′ to 3′ phosphodiester linkage essential for DNA chain elongation.

Application

Classes of substances

PATENT

US5034394

Synthesis pathway

Abacavir, (-) cis-[4-[2-amino-6-cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopenten-yl]-1 – methanol, a carbocyclic nucleoside which possesses a 2,3-dehydrocyclopentene ring, is referred to in United States Patent 5,034,394 as a reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Recently, a general synthetic strategy for the preparation of this type of compound and intermediates was reported [Crimmins, et. al., J. Org. Chem., 61 , 4192-4193 (1996) and 65, 8499-8509-4193 (2000)].

• • Abacavir is the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) of {(1S,4R)-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-cyclopent-2-enyl}methanol and CAS No. 136470-78-5. Abacavir and therapeutically acceptable salts thereof, in particular the hemisulfate salt, are well-known as potent selective inhibitors of HIV-1 and HIV-2, and can be used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The structure of abacavir corresponds to formula (I):

• 
• EP 434450-A discloses certain 9-substituted-2-aminopurines including abacavir and its salts, methods for their preparation, and pharmaceutical compositions using these compounds.
• Different preparation processes of abacavir are known in the art. In some of them abacavir is obtained starting from an appropriate pyrimidine compound, coupling it with a sugar analogue residue, followed by a cyclisation to form the imidazole ring and a final introduction of the cyclopropylamino group at the 6 position of the purine ring.
• According to the teachings of EP 434450-A , the abacavir base is finally isolated by trituration using acetonitrile (ACN) or by chromatography, and subsequently it can be transformed to a salt of abacavir by reaction with the corresponding acid. Such isolation methods (trituration and chromatography) usually are limited to laboratory scale because they are not appropriate for industrial use. Furthermore, the isolation of the abacavir base by trituration using acetonitrile gives a gummy solid (Example 7) and the isolation by chromatography (eluted from methanol/ethyl acetate) yields a solid foam (Example 19 or 28).
• Other documents also describe the isolation of abacavir by trituration or chromatography, but always a gummy solid or solid foam is obtained (cf. WO9921861 and EP741710 ), which would be difficult to operate on industrial scale.
• WO9852949 describes the preparation of abacavir which is isolated from acetone. According to this document the manufacture of the abacavir free base produces an amorphous solid which traps solvents and is, therefore, unsuitable for large scale purification, or for formulation, without additional purification procedures (cf. page 1 of WO 9852949 ). In this document, it is proposed the use of a salt of abacavir, in particular the hemisulfate salt which shows improved physical properties regarding the abacavir base known in the art. Said properties allow the manufacture of the salt on industrial scale, and in particular its use for the preparation of pharmaceutical formulations.
• However, the preparation of a salt of abacavir involves an extra processing step of preparing the salt, increasing the cost and the time to manufacture the compound. Generally, the abacavir free base is the precursor compound for the preparation of the salt. Thus, depending on the preparation process used for the preparation of the salt, the isolation step of the abacavir free base must also be done.

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http://www.google.co.in/patents/US5034394

EXAMPLE 21(-)-cis-4-[2-Amino-6-(cyclopropylmethylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1-methanol

The title compound of Example 7, (2.00 g, 6.50 mmol) was dissolved in 1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (Aldrich, 20 mL). Phosphoryl chloride (2.28 mL, 24.0 mmol) was added to the stirred, cooled (-10° C.) solution. After 3 minutes, cold water (80 mL) was added. The solution was extracted with chloroform (3×80 mL). The aqueous layer was diluted with ethanol (400 mL) and the pH adjusted to 6 with saturated aqueous NaOH. The precipitated inorganic salts were filtered off. The filtrate was further diluted with ethanol to a volume of 1 liter and the pH adjusted to 8 with additional NaOH. The resulting precipitate was filtered and dried to give the 5′-monophosphate of (±)-cis-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylmethylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1-methanol as white powder (4.0 mmoles, 62% quantitated by UV absorbance); HPLC analysis as in Example 17 shows one peak. This racemic 5′ -monophosphate was dissolved in water (200 mL) and snake venom 5′-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5) from Crotalus atrox (5,000 IU, Sigma) was added. After incubation at 37° C. for 10 days, HPLC analysis as in Example 17 showed that 50% of the starting nucleotide had been dephosphorylated to the nucleoside. These were separated on a 5×14 cm column of DEAE Sephadex A25 (Pharmacia) which had been preequilibrated with 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate. Title compound was eluted with 2 liters of 50 mM ammonium bicarbonate. Evaporation of water gave white powder which was dissolved in methanol, adsorbed on silica gel, and applied to a silica gel column. Title compound was eluted with methanol:chloroform/1:9 as a colorless glass. An acetonitrile solution was evaporated to give white solid foam, dried at 0.3 mm Hg over P₂ O₅ ; 649 mg (72% from racemate); ¹ H-NMR in DMSO-d₆ and mass spectrum identical with those of the racemate (title compound of Example 7); [α]²⁰ _D -48.0°, [α]²⁰ ₄₃₆ -97.1°, [α]²⁰ ₃₆₅ -149° (c=0.14, methanol).

Anal. Calcd. for C₁₅ H₂₀ N₆ O.0.10CH₃ CN: C, 59.96; H, 6.72; N, 28.06. Found: C, 59.93; H, 6.76; N, 28.03.

Continued elution of the Sephadex column with 2 liters of 100 mM ammonium bicarbonate and then with 2 liters of 200 mM ammonium bicarbonate gave 5′-monophosphate (see Example 22) which was stable to 5′-nucleotidase.

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Синтез a)
Синтез b)
Preparation c)
Synthesis d)

An enantiopure β-lactam with a suitably disposed electron withdrawing group on nitrogen, participated in a π-allylpalladium mediated reaction with 2,6-dichloropurine tetrabutylammonium salt to afford an advanced cis-1,4-substituted cyclopentenoid with both high regio- and stereoselectivity. This advanced intermediate was successfully manipulated to the total synthesis of (−)-Abacavir.

http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/ob/c2ob06775g#!divAbstract

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http://www.google.com.ar/patents/EP2085397A1?cl=en

Example 1: Preparation of crystalline Form I of abacavir base using methanol as solvent

• [0026]
  Abacavir (1.00 g, containing about 17% of dichloromethane) was dissolved in refluxing methanol (2.2 mL). The solution was slowly cooled to – 5 °C and, the resulting suspension, was kept at that temperature overnight under gentle stirring. The mixture was filtered off and dried under vacuum (7-10 mbar) at 40 °C for 4 hours to give a white solid (0.55 g, 66% yield, < 5000 ppm of methanol). The PXRD analysis gave the diffractogram shown in FIG. 1.

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http://www.google.com/patents/WO2008037760A1?cl=en

Abacavir, is the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) of {(1 S,4R)-4-[2- amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-cyclopent-2-enyl}methanol, and CAS No. 136470-78-5. Abacavir sulfate is a potent selective inhibitor of HIV-1 and HIV-2, and can be used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

The structure of abacavir hemisulfate salt corresponds to formula (I):

(I)

EP 434450-A discloses certain 9-substituted-2-aminopuhnes including abacavir and its salts, methods for their preparation, and pharmaceutical compositions using these compounds.

Different preparation processes of abacavir are known in the art. In some of them abacavir is obtained starting from an appropriate pyrimidine compound, coupling it with a sugar analogue residue, followed by a cyclisation to form the imidazole ring and a final introduction of the cyclopropylamino group at the 6 position of the purine ring. Pyrimidine compounds which have been identified as being useful as intermediates of said preparation processes include N-2-acylated abacavir intermediates such as N-{6- (cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H-purin- 2-yl}acetamide or N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-

(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H-purin-2-yl}isobutyramide. The removal of the amino protective group of these compounds using acidic conditions is known in the art. According to Example 28 of EP 434450-A, the amino protective group of the N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4- (hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H-purin-2-yl}isobutyramide is removed by stirring with 1 N hydrochloric acid for 2 days at room temperature. The abacavir base, after adjusting the pH to 7.0 and evaporation of the solvent, is finally isolated by trituration and chromatography. Then, it is transformed by reaction with an acid to the corresponding salt of abacavir. The main disadvantages of this method are: (i) the use of a strongly corrosive mineral acid to remove the amino protective group; (ii) the need of a high dilution rate; (iii) a long reaction time to complete the reaction; (iv) the need of isolating the free abacavir; and (v) a complicated chromatographic purification process.

Thus, despite the teaching of this prior art document, the research of new deprotection processes of a N-acylated {(1 S,4R)-4-[2-amino-6- (cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-cyclopent-2-enyl}methanol is still an active field, since the industrial exploitation of the known process is difficult, as it has pointed out above. Thus, the provision of a new process for the removal of the amino protective group of a N-acylated {(1 S,4R)-4-[2-amino-6-

(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-cyclopent-2-enyl}methanol is desirable.

Example 1 : Preparation of abacavir hemisulfate

N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H- purin-2-yl}isobutyramide (6.56 g, 18.40 mmol) was slurried in a mixture of isopropanol (32.8 ml) and 10% solution of NaOH (36.1 ml, 92.0 mmol). The mixture was refluxed for 1 h. The resulting solution was cooled to 20-25 ⁰C and tert-butyl methyl ether (32.8 ml) was added. The layers were separated and H₂SO₄ 96% (0.61 ml, 11.03 mmol) was added dropwise to the organic layer. This mixture was cooled to 0-5⁰C and the resulting slurry filtered off.

The solid was dried under vacuum at 40 ⁰C. Abacavir hemisulfate (5.98 g, 97%) was obtained as a white powder.

Example 6: Preparation of abacavir

N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H- purin-2-yl}isobutyramide (1.0 g, 2.80 mmol) was slurried in a mixture of isopropanol (2 ml) and 10% solution of NaOH (1.1 ml, 2.80 mmol). The mixture was refluxed for 1 h. The resulting solution was cooled to 20-25 ⁰C and tert-butyl methyl ether (2 ml) was added. The aqueous layer was discarded, the organic phase was cooled to 0-5 ⁰C and the resulting slurry filtered off. The solid was dried under vacuum at 40⁰C. Abacavir (0.62 g, 77%) was obtained as a white powder.

Example 7: Preparation of abacavir

N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H- purin-2-yl}isobutyramide (1.25 g, 3.51 mmol) was slurried in a mixture of isopropanol (2.5 ml) and 10% solution of NaOH (1.37 ml, 3.51 mmol). The mixture was refluxed for 1 h and concentrated to dryness. The residue was crystallized in acetone. Abacavir (0.47 g, 47%) was obtained as a white powder.

Example 8: Preparation of abacavir

N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-enyl]-9H- purin-2-yl}isobutyramide (1.25 g, 3.51 mmol) was slurried in a mixture of isopropanol (2.5 ml) and 10% solution of NaOH (1.37 ml, 3.51 mmol). The mixture was refluxed for 1 h and concentrated to dryness. The residue was crystallized in acetonitrile. Abacavir (0.43 g, 43%) was obtained as a white powder.

Example 9: Preparation of abacavir

A mixture of N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent- 2-enyl]-9H-purin-2-yl}isobutyramide (10 g, 28 mmol), isopropanol (100 ml) and 10% solution of NaOH (16.8 ml, 42 mmol) was refluxed for 1 h. The resulting solution was cooled to 20-25 ⁰C and washed several times with 25% solution of NaOH (10 ml). The wet organic layer was neutralized to pH 7.0-7.5 with 17% hydrochloric acid and it was concentrated to dryness under vacuum. The residue was crystallized in ethyl acetate (150 ml) to afford abacavir (7.2 g, 90%).

Example 10: Preparation of abacavir

A mixture of N-{6-(cyclopropylamino)-9-[(1 R,4S)-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent- 2-enyl]-9H-purin-2-yl}isobutyramide (10 g, 28 mmol), isopropanol (100 ml) and 10% solution of NaOH (16.8 ml, 42 mmol) was refluxed for 1 h. The resulting solution was cooled to 20-25 ⁰C and washed several times with 25% solution of NaOH (10 ml). The wet organic layer was neutralized to pH 7.0-7.5 with 17% hydrochloric acid and it was concentrated to dryness under vacuum. The residue was crystallized in acetone (300 ml) to afford abacavir (7.0 g, 88%).

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http://www.google.com/patents/WO2004089952A1?cl=en

Abacavir of formula (1) :

or (1 S,4R)-4-[2-Amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1 – methanol and its salts are nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Abacavir sulfate is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Abacavir sulfate and related compounds and their therapeutic uses are disclosed in US 5,034,394.

Crystalline forms of abacavir sulfate have not been reported in the literature. Moreover, the processes described in the literature do not produce abacavir sulfate in a stable, well-defined and reproducible crystalline form. It has now been discovered that abacavir sulfate can be prepared in three stable, well-defined and consistently reproducible crystalline forms.

Example 1

Abacavir free base (3.0 gm, obtained by the process described in example 21 of US 5,034,394) is dissolved in ethyl acetate (15 ml) and cone, sulfuric acid (0.3 ml) is added to the solution. Then the contents are stirred for 3 hours at 20°C and filtered to give 3.0 gm of form I abacavir sulfate. Example 2 Abacavir free base (3.0 gm) is dissolved in acetone (20 ml) and cone, sulfuric acid (0.3 ml) is added to the solution. Then the contents are stirred for 6 hours at 25°C and filtered to give 2.8 gm of form I abacavir sulfate.

Example 3 Abacavir free base (3.0 gm) is dissolved in acetonitrile (15 ml) and sulfuric acid (0.3 ml) is added to the solution. Then the contents are stirred for 2 hours at 25°C and the separated solid is filtered to give 3.0 gm of form II abacavir sulfate.

Example 4 Abacavir free base (3.0 gm) is dissolved in methyl tert-butyl ether (25 ml) and sulfuric acid (0.3 ml) is added to the solution. Then the contents are stirred for 1 hours at 25°C and the separated solid is filtered to give 3.0 gm of form II abacavir sulfate.

Example 5 Abacavir free base (3.0 gm) is dissolved in methanol (15 ml) and sulfuric acid (0.3 ml) is added to the solution. The contents then are cooled to 0°C and diisopropyl ether (15 ml) is added. The reaction mass is stirred for 2 hours at about 25°C and the separated solid is filtered to give 3.0 gm of form III abacavir sulfate

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http://www.google.com.ar/patents/WO1999021861A1?cl=en

The present invention relates to a new process for the preparation of the chiral nucleoside analogue (1S, 4R)-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H purin-9-yl]-2- cyclopentene-1 -methanol (compound of Formula (I)).

The compound of formula (I) is described as having potent activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) in EPO34450.

Results presented at the 34th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (October 4-7, 1994) demonstrate that the compound of formula I has significant activity against HIV comparable to, and if not better than, some current anti HIV drugs, such as zidovudine and didanosine.

Currently the compound of Formula (I) is undergoing clinical investigation to determine its safety and efficacy in humans. Therefore, there exists at the present time a need to supply large quantities of this compound for use in clinical trials.

Current routes of synthesising the compound of formula (I) involve multiple steps and are relatively expensive. It will be noted that the compound has two centres of asymmetry and it is essential that any route produces the compound of formula (I) substantially free of the corresponding enantiomer, preferably the compound of formula (I) is greater than 95% w/w free of the corresponding enantiomer.

Processes proposed for the preparation of the compound of formula (I) generally start from a pyrimidine compound, coupling with a 4-amino-2-cyclopentene-1- methanol analogue, cyciisation to form the imidazole ring and then introduction of the cyclopropylamine group into the 6 position of the purine, such routes include those suggested in EPO434450 and WO9521161. Essentially both routes disclosed in the two prior patent applications involve the following steps:-

(i) coupling (1S, 4R)-4-amino-2-cyclopentene-1 -methanol to N-(4,6-dichloro-5- formamido-2-pyrimidinyl) acetamide or a similar analogue thereof, for example N- (2-amino-4,6-dichloro-5-pyrimidinyl) formamide;

(ii) ring closure of the resultant compound to form the intermediate (1 S, 4R)-4- (2-amino-6-chloro-9H-purin-9-yl)-2-cyclopentene-1 -methanol;

(iii) substituting the halo group by a cyclopropylamino group on the 6 position of the purine ring.

The above routes are multi-step processes. By reducing the number of processing steps significant cost savings can be achieved due to the length of time to manufacture the compound being shortened and the waste streams minimised.

An alternative process suggested in the prior art involves the direct coupling of carbocyclic ribose analogues to the N atom on the 9 position of 2-amino-6-chloro purine. For example WO91/15490 discloses a single step process for the formation of the (1S, 4R)- 4-(2-amino-6-chloro-9H-purin-9-yl)-2-cyclopentene-1- methanol intermediate by reacting (1S, 4R)-4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentene-1 -methanol, in which the allylic hydroxyl group has been activated as an ester or carbonate and the other hydroxyl group has a blocking group attached (for example 1 ,4- bis- methylcarbonate) with 2-amino-6-chloropurine.

However we have found that when synthesising (1S, 4R)-4-(2-amino-6-chloro-9H- purin-9-yl)-2-cyclopentene-1- methanol by this route a significant amount of an N- 7 isomer is formed (i.e. coupling has occurred to the nitrogen at the 7- position of the purine ring) compared to the N-9 isomer desired. Further steps are therefore required to convert the N-7 product to the N-9 product, or alternatively removing the N-7 product, adding significantly to the cost. We have found that by using a transition metal catalysed process for the direct coupling of a compound of formula (II) or (III),

Example 1 (1 S. 4R)-4-[2-Amino-6-(cvclopropylamino)-9H purin-9-vπ-2-cvclopentene-1 – methanol

Triphenylphosphine (14mg) was added, under nitrogen, to a mixture of (1S.4R)- 4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentene -1 -methanol bis(methylcarbonate) (91 mg), 2-amino-6- (cyclopropylamino) purine (90mg), tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium (12mg) and dry DMF (2ml) and the resulting solution stirred at room temperature for 40 min.

The DMF was removed at 60° in vacuo and the residue partitioned between ethyl acetate (25ml.) and 20% sodium chloride solution (10ml.). The ethyl acetate solution was washed with 20% sodium chloride (2x12ml.) and with saturated sodium chloride solution, then dried (MgSO₄) and the solvent removed in vacuo.

The residue was dissolved in methanol (10ml.), potassium carbonate (17mg) added and the mixture stirred under nitrogen for 15h.

The solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue chromatographed on silica gel

(Merck 9385), eluting with dichloromethane-methanol [(95:5) increasing to (90:10)] to give the title compound (53mg) as a cream foam.

δ(DMSO-d₆): 7.60 (s.1 H); 7.27 (s,1 H); 6.10 (dt,1 H); 5.86 (dt, 1 H); 5.81 (s,2H); 5.39 (m,1H); 4.75 (t,1H); 3.44 (t,2H); 3.03 (m, 1H): 2.86 (m,1H);2.60 (m,1H); 1.58 (dt, 1 H); 0.65 (m, 2H); 0.57 (m,2H).

TLC SiO₂/CHCI₃-MeOH (4:1 ) Rf 0.38; det. UN., KMnO₄

Trade Names

Formulations

• Oral solution 20 mg / ml;
• Tablets of 300 mg (as the sulfate);
• Trizivir tablets 300 mg – abacavir in fixed combination with 150 mg of lamivudine and 300 mg zidovudine

ZIAGEN is the brand name for abacavir sulfate, a synthetic carbocyclic nucleoside analogue with inhibitory activity against HIV-1. The chemical name of abacavir sulfate is (1S,cis)-4-[2-amino-6-(cyclopropylamino)-9H-purin-9-yl]-2-cyclopentene-1-methanol sulfate (salt) (2:1). Abacavir sulfate is the enantiomer with 1S, 4R absolute configuration on the cyclopentene ring. It has a molecular formula of (C₁₄H₁₈N₆O)₂•H₂SO₄ and a molecular weight of 670.76 daltons. It has the following structural formula:

Abacavir sulfate is a white to off-white solid with a solubility of approximately 77 mg/mL in distilled water at 25°C. It has an octanol/water (pH 7.1 to 7.3) partition coefficient (log P) of approximately 1.20 at 25°C.

ZIAGEN Tablets are for oral administration. Each tablet contains abacavir sulfate equivalent to 300 mg of abacavir as active ingredient and the following inactive ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, and sodium starch glycolate. The tablets are coated with a film that is made of hypromellose, polysorbate 80, synthetic yellow iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and triacetin.

ZIAGEN Oral Solution is for oral administration. Each milliliter (1 mL) of ZIAGEN Oral Solution contains abacavir sulfate equivalent to 20 mg of abacavir (i.e., 20 mg/mL) as active ingredient and the following inactive ingredients: artificial strawberry and banana flavors, citric acid (anhydrous), methylparaben and propylparaben (added as preservatives), propylene glycol, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate (dihydrate), sorbitol solution, and water.

In vivo, abacavir sulfate dissociates to its free base, abacavir. All dosages for ZIAGEN are expressed in terms of abacavir.

History

Abacavir was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 18, 1998 and is thus the fifteenth approved antiretroviral drug in the United States. Its patent expired in the United States on 2009-12-26.

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