The natural product saudin was found to induce hypoglycemia in mice and, therefore, could be an appealing lead structure for the development of new agents to treat diabetes. A diastereoselective tandem Stille-oxa-electrocyclization reaction has been developed which provides access to the core structure of saudin in a rapid and convergent manner. This new reaction has been extended to the convergent preparation of a series of polycyclic pyran systems. Progress has been made on the advancement of these complex pyran systems toward the natural product. A complete account of these synthetic efforts is presented.