Patent ID: 7193083

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a compound of the formula: or an acid addition salt thereof, wherein R is phenyl optionally substituted by 1 to 3 substituents each independently selected from halo and trifluoromethyl; R 1 is C 1 –C 6 alkyl; and R 2 is H or fluoro, which comprises the steps of: (a) reaction of a compound of the formula: wherein R is as defined for a compound of the formula (IV), with a compound of the formula: wherein X is chloro, bromo or iodo, R 1 and R 2 are as previously defined for a compound of the formula (IV) and either R 3 and R 4 are each independently selected from chloro and bromo or one of R 3 and R 4 is chloro or bromo and the other is H, in the presence of zinc, iodine and/or a Lewis acid and an aprotic organic solvent, to provide a compound of the formula: wherein R, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are as previously defined for this step (a); (b) optionally converting the compound of the formula (IA) to an acid addition salt thereof; (c) reduction of the compound of the formula (IA) or an acid addition salt thereof to provide the compound of the formula (IV); wherein the reduction in step (c) is carried out by catalytic hydrogenation or by transfer hydrogenation; and (d) optionally reacting the compound of the formula (IV) with an acid to provide an acid addition salt thereof.