A new synthetic method for tiaprofenic acid, which is a potent anti-inflammatory agent, was described. Friedel-Crafts reaction of thiophene with ethyl ${alpha}-chloro-{alpha}-(methylthio)$ acetate (1) gave ethyl ${alpha}-methylthio-2-thiopheneacetate$ (3). Ethyl ${alpha}-methyl-2-thiopheneacetate$ (5) was prepared by treatment of (3) with NaH and MeI, followed by desulfurization with zinc dust-acetic acid of the resultant ethyl ${alpha}-methyl-{alpha}-methylthio-2-thiopheneacetate$ (4). Tiaprofenic acid (7) could be easily synthesized by benzoylation of (5) and hydrolysis of the resultant ethyl $5-benzoyl-{alpha}-methyl-2-thiopheneacetate$ (6).