Concise and efficient synthesis of eliglustat

Eliglustat, a ceramide glucosyltransferase inhibitor, was synthesized in six steps with 28.4% overall yield. The key features include the use of a diastereoselective aldol reaction to construct two contiguous stereocenters and a selective sulfonylation of a 1,3-diol catalyzed by dibutyltin oxide. [GRAPHICS] .