Novel routes to 2-trifluoromethyl-nicotinic acid derivatives have been developed involving synthesis of the pyridine ring. These pyridyl compounds serve as key intermediates in the manufacture of the recently discovered COMT inhibitor, 3-(5-(3, 4-dihydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)- 1, 2, 4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-2-(trifluoromethyl) pyridine 1-oxide.
