Process Development, Impurity Control, and Production of a Novel Tubulin Inhibitor

Process development and production of a novel tubulin inhibitor are described. The desired API was obtained through selective iodination of the 12′ position of vinblastine and subsequent thiomethylation. Most of the impurities were identified, and process parameters were adjusted to control such impurities. The optimized process was scaled up under cGMP conditions to afford 230 g of the desired API.