Process for preparing quinazoline Rho-kinase inhibitors and intermediates thereof

1. A process for the preparation of a compound of Formula (I)

comprising reacting a compound of Formula 4′

and a compound of Formula 5

wherein

a and c are each independently —CR 5 ═ or —NR 6 —, wherein one of a or c is —NR 6 —;

b is —N═;

A is a 3-20 atom, cyclic or polycyclic moiety, which optionally contain 1-3 N, O or S atoms per ring, and may optionally be aryl or heteroaryl, which cyclic or polycyclic moiety may optionally be substituted up to 3 times by (i) C 1 -C 10 alkyl or C 2 -C 10 -alkenyl, each optionally substituted with halogen up to perhalo; (ii) C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl; (iii) aryl; (iv) heteroaryl; (v) halogen; (vi) —CO—OR 8 ; (vii) —CO—R 8 ; (viii) cyano; (ix) —OR 8 , (x) -NR 8 R 13 ; (xi) nitro; (xii) —CO—NR 8 R 9 ; (xiii) -C 1-10 -alkyl-NR 8 R 9 ; (xiv) —NR 8 —CO—R 12 ; (xv) —NR 8 —CO—OR 9 ; (xvi) —NR 8 —SO 2 —R 9 ; (xvii) —SR 8 ; (xviii) —SO 2 —R 8 ; (xix) —SO 2 —NR 8 R 9 ; or (xx) NR 8 —CO—NHR 9 ;

R 1 , R 6 and R 8 -R 11 are each independently H or C 1-6 alkyl;

R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each independently (i) C 1-10 alkyl or C 2 -10 -alkenyl each optionally substituted by amino, N-lower alkylamino, N,N-dilower alkylamino, N-lower alkanoylamino, hydroxy, cyano, —COOR 10 , —COR 14 , —OCOR 14 , —OR 10 , C 5-10 -heteroaryl, C 5-10 -heteroaryloxy, or C 5-10 -heteroaryl-C 1-10 -alkoxy, halogen up to perhalo; (ii) C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, in which 1-3 carbon atoms are optionally independently replaced by O, N or S; (iii) C 3-10 -cycloalkenyl; (iv) partially unsaturated C 5-10 -heterocyclyl; (v) aryl; (vi) heteroaryl; (vii) halogen; (viii) —CO—OR 10 ; (ix) —OCOR 10 ; (x) —OCO 2 R 10 ; (xi) —CHO; (xii) cyano; (xiii) —OR 16 ; (xiv) —NR 10 R 15 ; (xv) nitro; (xvi) —CO—NR 10 R 11 ; (xvii) —NR 10 —CO—R 12 ; (xviii) —NR 10 —CO—OR 11 ; (xix) —NR 10 —SO 2 —R 12 ; (xx) —SR 16 ; (xxi) —SOR 16 ; (xxii) —SO 2 —R 16 ; (xxiii) —SO 2 —NR 10 R 11 ; (xxiv) NR 10 —CO—NHR 11 ; (xxv) amidino; (xxvi) guanidino; (xxvii) sulfo; (xxviii) —B(OH) 2 ; (xxix) —OCON(R 10 ) 2 ; or (xxx) —NR 10 CON(R 10 ) 2 ;

R 5 is independently (i) C 2-10 -alkenyl, optionally substituted by amino, N-lower alkylamino, N,N-dilower alkylamino, N-lower alkanoylamino, hydroxy, cyano, —COOR 10 , —COR 14 or —OCOR 14 ,—OR 10 , C 5-10 -heteroaryl, C 5-10 -heteroaryloxy, or C 5-10 -heteroaryl-C 1-10 -alkoxy, halogen up to perhalo; (ii) C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, in which 1-3 carbon atoms are optionally independently replaced by O, N or S; (iii) C 3-10 -cycloalkenyl; (iv) partially unsaturated C 5-10 -heterocyclyl; (v) aryl; (vi) heteroaryl; (vii) —CO—OR 10 ; (viii) —OCOR 10 ; (ix) —OCO 2 R 10 ; (x) —CHO; (xi) cyano; (xii) —NR 10 R 15 ; (xiii) —CO—NR 10 R 11 ; (xiv) —NR 10 —CO—R 12 ; (xv) —NR 10 —CO—OR 11 ; (xvi) —NR 10 —SO 2 —R 12 ; (xvii) —SR 16 ; (xviii) —SOR 16 ; (xix) —SO 2 —R 16 ; (xx) —SO 2 —NR 10 R 11 ; (xxi) NR 10 —CO—NHR 11 ; (xxii) amidino; (xxiii) guanidino; (xxiv) sulfo; (xxv) —B(OH) 2 ; (xxvi) —OCON(R 10 ) 2 ; or (xxvii) —NR 10 CON(R 10 ) 2 .

R 12 is H, C 1-6 -alkyl or C 5-10 -aryl,

R 13 is H, C 1-6 -alkyl or C 1-6 -alkoxy,

R 14 is lower alkyl or phenyl;

R 15 is lower alkyl, halogen, amino, N-lower alkyl amino, N,N-dilower alkylamino, N-lower alkanoylamino, OH, CN, COOR 10 , —COR 14 or —OCOR 14 ;

R 16 is hydrogen, C 1-6 -alkyl optionally substituted by halogen, up to perhalo, or C 5-10 -heteroaryl; and

p=0,1,2 or 3;

with the proviso that compound I is not

and formula 4′ is not 4,7-dichloro-2-phenylquinazoline.