Methods and Compositions for Preparing Noribogaine From
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(19) TZZ _Z_T (11) EP 2 481 740 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: C07D 471/22 (2006.01) C07D 487/18 (2006.01) 04.11.2015 Bulletin 2015/45 (21) Application number: 11159572.4 (22) Date of filing: 24.03.2011 (54) Methods and compositions for preparing noribogaine from voacangine Verfahren und Zusammensetzungen zur Herstellung von Noribogain aus Voacangin Procédés et compositions pour préparer de la noribogaïne à partir de voacangine (84) Designated Contracting States: • Moriarty, Robert M. AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB Miami, FL 33137 (US) GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR (74) Representative: Gibson, Mark et al Sagittarius IP (30) Priority: 26.01.2011 US 436511 P Three Globeside 17.03.2011 US 453884 P Fieldhouse Lane 21.03.2011 US 454904 P Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1HZ (GB) (43) Date of publication of application: (56) References cited: 01.08.2012 Bulletin 2012/31 US-A- 2 813 873 (73) Proprietor: DemeRx, Inc. • DATABASE REGISTRY [Online] CHEMICAL Miami, FL 33137 (US) ABSTRACTS SERVICE, COLUMBUS, OHIO, US; 16 November 1984 (1984-11-16), -: "Ibogamine- (72) Inventors: 18-carboxylic acid, 12- methoxy-, potassium sal", • Mash, Deborah C. XP002638006, Database accession no. 5500-12-9 Miami, FL 33137 (US) • Gless, Richard D. Remarks: Miami, FL 33137 (US) Thefile contains technical information submitted after the application was filed and not included in this specification Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 2 481 740 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) EP 2 481 740 B1 Description Field of the Invention 5 [0001] This invention relates generally to methods and compositions for preparing and purifying the non-addictive alkaloid noribogaine. State of the Art 10 [0002] Noribogaine is a well known member of the ibogaine family of alkaloids and is sometimes referred to as 12- hydroxyibogaine. US Patent No. 2,813,873 claims noribogaine albeit as "12-O-demethylibogaine" while providing an incorrect structural formula for ibogaine. The structure of noribogaine has now been thoroughly evaluated and is found to combine the features of tryptamine, tetrahydrohavaine and indolazepines. Noribogaine can be depicted by the following formula: 15 20 [0003] Noribogaine and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts have recently received significant attention as a non- addictive alkaloid useful in treating drug dependency (U.S. Patent No. 6,348,456) and as a potent analgesic (U.S. Patent No. 7,220,737). 25 [0004] Conventionally, noribogaine is prepared by demethylation of naturally occurring ibogaine: 30 which is isolated from Tabernanth iboga, a shrub of West Africa. Demethylation may be accomplished by conventional techniques such as by reaction with boron tribromide/methylene 35 chloride at room temperature followed by conventional purification. Alternatively, noribogaine can be prepared from the naturally occurring alkaloid, voacangine 40 45 by decarboxylation followed by demethylation as described in U.S. Patent No. 2,813,873. Such a process provides for ibogaine as the first intermediate in this two step synthesis. [0005] Ibogaine is addictive and possesses hallucinogenic properties. It is a Schedule 1-controlled substance as provided by the US Food and Drug Administration. Accordingly, methods for preparing noribogaine from ibogaine require 50 high levels of assurance that contamination with unacceptable levels of ibogaine is avoided. As above, a one-step method for preparation of noribogaine from ibogaine via demethylation does not provide the requisite assurance that ibogaine will consistently be removed as a potential contaminant. This applies equally as well to noribogaine prepared from voacangine as described above as the penultimate compound in this synthesis is ibogaine. [0006] Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide a method for preparing noribogaine from voacangine such 55 that the potential for ibogaine contamination can be effectively and reliably minimized. 2 EP 2 481 740 B1 Summary of the Invention [0007] This invention provides methods and compositions for the preparation of noribogaine wherein contamination by ibogaine is predictably and effectively minimized, if not altogether eliminated. In certain embodiments, this invention 5 employs the use of solid supports to effect separation of noribogaine from any possible contaminants such that any ibogainecontamination is significantlyreduced if not altogether eliminated. In certain embodiments, this invention employs an ion exchange resin to effect separation of noribogaine from any possible contaminants such that any ibogaine con- tamination is significantly reduced if not altogether eliminated. [0008] Accordingly, in one of its method aspects, this invention is directed to a method for preparing and purifying 10 noribogaine which method comprises: a) converting voacangine to 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid or the carboxylic acid salt or ester thereof, wherein the indole nitrogen is optionally protected by an amino protecting group; b) optionally isolating the 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid or the carboxylic acid salt, ester and/or amino 15 protected derivative thereof; c) converting the product of step a) or b) to noribogaine; and d) isolating noribogaine. [0009] In another of its method aspects, this invention is directed to a method for preparing and purifying noribogaine 20 which method comprises: a) converting voacangine to 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid wherein the indole nitrogen is optionally pro- tected by an amino protecting group; b) converting the 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid to noribogaine; and 25 c) isolating noribogaine. [0010] In another of its method aspects, this invention is directed to a method for preparing and purifying noribogaine which method comprises: 30 a) converting voacangine to 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester wherein the indole nitrogen is optionally protected by an amino protecting group; b) optionally covalently attaching 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or amino protected derivative thereof to a solid support via the hydroxyl group of 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or amino protected derivative thereof so as to form a suspension of solid supports having 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic 35 acid methyl ester or amino protected derivative thereof bound thereto; c) removing residual voacangine from said suspension; d) cleaving and recovering the 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or amino protected derivative thereof from the solid support; e) converting the 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or amino protected derivative thereof to 40 noribogaine; and f) isolating noribogaine. [0011] In another of its method aspects, this invention is directed to a method for preparing and purifying noribogaine which method comprises: 45 a) covalently attaching voacangine to a solid support via the indole nitrogen of voacangine so as to form a suspension of solid supports having voacangine bound thereto; b) converting voacangine to 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or 12-hydroxyibogamine-18- carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid salt thereof under conditions wherein the level of voacangine bound to the solid 50 support is less than 0.1 weight percent; c) cleaving and recovering 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-car- boxylic acid or carboxylic acid salt thereof from the solid support; d) converting the 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid salt thereof to noribogaine; and 55 e) purifying noribogaine. [0012] In another of its method aspects, this invention is directed to a method for preparing and purifying noribogaine which method comprises utilizing an ion exchange resin for isolating and/or purifying the 12-hydroxyibogamine-18- 3 EP 2 481 740 B1 carboxylic acid methyl ester, 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid salt thereof, or noribogaine. [0013] In one of its composition aspects, this invention is directed to a solid support having voacangine, 12-hydroxy- ibogamine-18-carboxylic acid methyl ester or 12-hydroxyibogamine-18-carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid salt thereof covalently bound thereto through a cleavable linker. 5 Detailed Description of the Invention [0014] This invention is directed to methods and compositions comprising noribogaine and, in particular, methods and compositionscomprising highly purenoribogaine. However,prior todescribing thisinvention ingreater detail, thefollowing 10 terms will first be defined. [0015] It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a pharmaceutically ac- ceptable excipient" includes a plurality of such excipients. 15 1. Definitions [0016] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill