The reaction of 5-methoxyindol (I) with 4-fluorobenzyl chloride in DMF gives 5-methoxy-1-(4-fluorobenzyl)indol (II). This compound is acylated with oxalyl chloride, yielding 5-methoxy-[1-(4-fluorobenzyl)indol-3-yl]glyoxylic acid chloride (III), which is transformed with 4-amino-3,5-dichloropyridine into the corresponding amide (IV). The reaction of (IV) with borontribromide in toluene cleaves the methoxy group, yielding AWD 12-281.