Patent ID: 8692002

Claim:
A method of stereoselectively making a compound of formula (18): or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, which method comprises: (a) treating a compound of formula (12): to resolution conditions to yield a compound of formula (14): where Bn is benzyl; (b) reacting the compound of formula (14) with a compound of formula (16): where Me is methyl, under suitable conditions comprising the presence of a Lewis acid or a Bronsted acid such that upon reaction of the compound of formula (14) with the compound of formula (16), the stereochemical configuration of the carbon to which the hydroxyl group is attached in the compound of formula (14) is retained in the resulting compound of formula (17): where Bn is benzyl and Me is methyl; (c) removing the benzyl from the compound of formula (17) under suitable conditions to form a compound of formula (18), as described above; and (d) optionally converting the compound of formula (18) under suitable conditions to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt.