A Flow-Based Synthesis of Telmisartan

A highly efficient continuous synthesis has been developed for telmisartan, the active ingredient in the antihypertensive drug, Micardis. This synthetic route employs a convergent strategy that requires no intermediate purifications or solvent exchanges. The key step in the reaction scheme is a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction between two functionalized benzimi-dazoles that is catalyzed by a solid-supported Pd catalyst. This flow-based approach utilizes a tubular reactor system coupled with a plug flow packed bed cartridge unit that produces telmisartan in an 81% isolated yield.