Patent ID: 7550591

Claim:
A process for preparing imatinib or a salt thereof, the process comprising reacting 4-(4-methyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-benzoic acid with N-(5-amino-2-methylphenyl)-4-(3pyridyl)-2-pyrimidine-amine in the presence of a carboxylic acid coupling reagent, to produce imatinib, and optionally converting the imatinib into a salt, wherein the carboxylic acid coupling reagent is a carbodiimide, 2-(5-norborene-2,3-dicarboximido)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyluronium tetrafluoroborate, 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride, 2-[(ethylcarbonimidoyl)amino-N,N,N-trimethyl-ethaneaminium iodide, or N′-(ethylcarbonimidoyl)-N,N-dimethyl-1,2-ethaneamine or the hydrochloride salt thereof.