We describe a synthesis of acyclovir-5′-(phenyl methoxy alaninyl) phosphate (2) from acyclovir (1). This compound was designed to act as a lipophilic, membrane-soluble prodrug of the free nucleotide. However, the biological activities of this derivative against a range of viruses indicated poor intracellular phosphate delivery, in marked contrast to the earlier successful delivery of several dideoxy anti-HIV nucleotides.
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