The invention relates to a method for preparing 
sunitinib. The method comprises the steps of dissolving 5-fluoro-1,3-
indoline-2-
ketone and N-(2-diethylin ethyl)-2,4-dimethyl-5-
formyl group-1H-
pyrrole-3-
formamide into methylbenzene, then carrying out 
backflow reaction for 2.5-3.5 hours with 
piperidine as a catalyst, cooling to 
room temperature, carrying out suction filtering, and washing and 
drying filter cakes obtained by suction 
filtration through 
petroleum ether, so as to obtain the 
sunitinib, wherein the N-(2-diethylin ethyl)-2,4-dimethyl-5-
formyl group-1H-
pyrrole-3-
formamide is prepared through hot melting and 
decarboxylation of 3,5-dimethyl-1H-
pyrrole-4-carbethoxy-2-
carboxylic acid, Vilsmeier-Haack 
formylation, 
hydrolysis reaction and amidation. According to the method, an intermediate of the 
sunitinib is prepared and synthesized through a 
solvent-free method, so that the overall yield of the sunitinib is greatly increased; in addition, the technology for 
elementary reaction is optimized; furthermore, the raw materials are easy to obtain, and by optimizing all reaction steps in the synthetic process, the 
elementary reaction yield of each step is increased, the total yield of the sunitinib is increased, and thus the synthetic cost of the sunitinib is lowered.