The synthesis of bervastatin is outlined: Heating of 2-hydroxyacetophenone (A) with cyclopentanone (B) and pyrrolidine in toluene gave 3,4-dihydrospiro[1-benzopyran-2(2H),1'-cyclopentan]-4-one (I). 1,2-Addition of 4-fluorophenylmagnesium bromide (D) on (I) followed by dehydration of the intermediate alcohol (II) upon treatment with p-toluenesulfonic acid yielded 4-(4-fluorophenyl)spiro[1-benzopyran-2(2H),1'-cyclopentane] (III). Vilsmeier reaction on (III) using 3-morpholinoacrolein (E) gave the corresponding prop-2-enal (IV). Addition of the dianion of ethyl acetoacetate to aldehyde (IV) and stereospecific reduction of the resulting delta-hydroxy-beta-ketoester (V) with diethylmethoxyborane and sodium borohydride yielded bervastatin.