New Manufacturing Procedure of Cetirizine

A new procedure for the manufacture of cetirizine dihydrochloride via the new intermediate 2-(2-{4-[(4-chlorophenyl)(phenyl)methyl]piperazin-1-yl}ethoxy)-N,N-dimethylacetamide dihydrochloride, synthesized by O-alkylation of 2-{4-[(4-chlorophenyl)(phenyl)methyl]piperazin-1-yl}ethanol with 2-chloro-N,N-dimethylacetamide, is elaborated. Hydrolysis of the resulting amide and subsequent salification provided cetirizine dihydrochloride.