A Three-Pronged Approach to the Global Debenzylation of an Advanced Furanoside Intermediate en Route to Remdesivir

Organic Process Research & Development 2026

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Authors: Sean T. Neville, Todd A. Wenderski, W. Stacy Bremner, Sara A. Bonderoff, Lina Chan, Matthew R. Chin, Nolan D. Griggs, Blanka M. Hodur, Zilin Huang, Trevor C. Johnson, Matthew M. Logan, Robert R. Milburn
+6 more B. Michael O’Keefe, Christopher S. Regens, Andrew C. Stevens, Nick Uhlig, Tiago Vieira, Laura Zilke
DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.5c00512
Cited by: 0
References: 18

Abstract

Herein are reported strategies to achieve the global deprotection of an advanced intermediate in the synthesis of remdesivir, the active pharmaceutical ingredient of Veklury and the first antiviral medication approved (October 2020) for the treatment of COVID-19. Three strategies to improve the efficiency of the BCl 3 -mediated debenzylation reaction were explored: 1) enhanced control over processing conditions via flow chemistry; 2) attenuation of the reactivity of the BCl 3 with additive B(OMe) 3; and 3) replacement of BCl 3 /CH 2 Cl 2 with AlCl 3 /anisole. These three strategies were developed in parallel in pursuit of improved yield and process robustness to expedite the large-scale manufacturing of remdesivir during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Carbohydrate Chemistry and Synthesis Organic Chemistry Synthesis Methods Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Publication details

Journal / source
Organic Process Research & Development
Volume
30
Issue
4
Pages
947–955
Publication date
16 March 2026
Language
EN