Synthesis of (S)-Rivastigmine

Significance

Rivastigmine (Exelon^®) is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that is prescribed for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The key step in the synthesis depicted is a dynamic kinetic resolution of the benzylic secondary alcohol B involving a lipase (Novozyme 435) coupled with a polymer-bound racemization catalyst (C).