Patent ID: 7241595

Claim:
A process for the preparation of a compound of the formula I: in which Me is methyl; R 1 is a methyl group, benzyl group or thienyl group; R 2 is a hydrogen atom; R 3 is a hydroxyl group, amino group or dimethylamino group; R 4 is a hydrogen atom or methyl group; R 5 is a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl group, amino group or acetylamino group; R 6 is a hydroxyl group or amino group; R 7 is a hydrogen atom; and R 8 is a methyl group, hydroxymethyl group, carboxyl group, acyl protective group that is bonded via the oxygen or methylene of a methyleneoxy group, or benzyloxycarbonyl group, wherein the acyl protective group is an acetyl group, mono-, di- or trihalogenoacetyl group; which comprises reacting, in the presence of a promoter selected from the group consisting of BF 3 x ether, tri-C 1 -C 4 -alkylsilyl trifluoromethane sulfonate, salts of silver and salts of mercury in a solvent selected from the group consisting of acetone, ethyl acetate, ether, toluene, dichloromethane, dichloroethane and mixtures thereof at −50° C. to 60° C., an etoposide compound of the formula VI: in which Me is methyl; R 1 is a methyl group, benzyl group or thienyl group; R 2 is a hydrogen atom, acyl protective group or tri-C 1 -C 4 -alkylsilyl protective group; R 3 is a hydroxyl group, acyl protective group or tri-C 1 -C 4 -alkylsilyl protective group which is bonded via oxygen, acetylamino group, benzyloxycarbonylamino group or dimethylamino group; and R 4 is a hydrogen atom or methyl group; with a carbohydrate component of the formula VII: in which R 5 is a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl group, acyl protective group which is bonded via an oxygen atom, benzyloxycarbonylamino group, azido group or acetylamino group; R 6 is an acyl protective group which is bonded via an oxygen atom, benzyloxycarbonylamino group or azido group; R 7 is an acyl protective group; R 8 is a methyl group, methyleneoxy-acyl protective group or benzyloxycarbonyl group; and Z is a halogen atom, hydroxyl group, tri-C 1 -C 4 -alkyl-silyloxy group, or acyl protective group that is bonded via an oxygen atom; wherein the acyl protective group is an acetyl group, mono-, di- or trihalogenoacetyl group, to give a 4′-O-glycosyl-etoposide derivative of the formula I in which all the radicals R 1 to R 8 retain their meaning as defined above, and eliminating the protective groups present in the 4′-O-glycosyl-etoposide derivative by hydrogenolysis or hydrolysis.