Chemoenzymatic Process for the Synthesis of Escitalopram

摘要

A process is described for the preparation of escitalopram and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof starting from 5-cyanophthalide by a process which provides an enantioselective enzymatic deacylation reaction of a complex of the formula (IV) where R represents a C₁-C₄ alkyl residue or an aryl residue under the action of an esterase from Aspergillus niger.