Utilizing a 2,6-dihromoaniline (6b) in place of the original monobromo aniline in the indole-forming intramolecular Heck reaction allows for a greater than two-fold improvement in the overall yield of CP-122,288. The second bromine is carried through unmolested, forming a 7-bromoindole analog of CP-122,288 (1b). This result might represent a novel approach to 7-substituted indole derivatives. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.