A morpholine-free process amenable convergent synthesis of apixaban: a potent factor Xa inhibitor

A convergent synthesis of the anti-coagulant drug apixaban has been efficiently demonstrated on a multi-gram scale. The synthetic route is noteworthy for its brevity and fact that it completely avoids the use of morpholine, a toxic and flammable reagent, in constructing the 5,6-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridin-7(4H)-one core present in apixaban.