Novel 2'-C-methyl nucleoside derivatives

Abstract

Compounds of Formula I, stereoisomers, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts or prodrugs thereof, their preparation, and their uses for the treatment of hepatitis C viral infection are described:

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 544,743 filed Feb. 13, 2004 and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirely, including figures.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention is directed towards novel 2′-C-methyl nucleoside 5′-monophosphate derivatives, their preparation and their uses. More specifically, the novel compounds are useful to treat hepatitis C viral infections. BACKGROUND [0003] The following description of the background of the invention is provided to aid in understanding the invention, but is not admitted to be, or to describe, prior art to the invention. All publications are incorporated by reference in their entirety. [0004] Hepatitis C is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver that may lead to cirrhosis, primary liver cancer and other long-term complications. Nucleosides are a well-recognized class of compounds shown to be effective against a variety of viral infect...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0116] The term “prodrug” as used herein refers to any compound that when administered to a biological system generates a biologically active compound as a result of spontaneous chemical reaction(s), enzyme catalyzed chemical reaction(s), and / or metabolic chemical reaction(s), or a combination of each. Standard prodrugs are formed using groups attached to functionality, e.g. HO—, HS—, HOOC—, R2N—, associated with the drug, that cleave in vivo. Standard prodrugs include but are not limited to carboxylate esters where the group is alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, acyloxyalkyl, alkoxycarbonyloxyalkyl as well as esters of hydroxyl, thiol and amines where the group attached is an acyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, phosphate or sulfate. The groups illustrated are exemplary, not exhaustive, and one skilled in the art could prepare other known varieties of prodrugs. Such prodrugs of the compounds of Formula I fall within this scope. Prodrugs must undergo some form of a chemical transformation to produce the compound that is biologically active or is a precursor of the biologically active compound. In some cases, the prodrug is biologically active, usually less than the drug itself, and serves to improve drug efficacy or safety through improved oral bioavailability, pharmacodynamic half-life, etc. Prodrug forms of compounds may be utilized, for example, to improve bioavailability, improve subject acceptability such as by masking or reducing unpleasant characteristics such as bitter taste or gastrointestinal irritability, alter solubility such as for intravenous use, provide for prolonged or sustained release or delivery, improve ease of formulation, or provide site-specific delivery of the compound. Prodrugs are described in The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action, by Richard B. Silverman, Academic Press, San Diego, 1992. Chapter 8: “Prodrugs and Drug delivery Systems” pp. 352-401; Design of Prodrugs, edited by H. Bundgaard, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 1985; Design of Biopharmaceutical Properties through Prodrugs and Analogs, Ed. by E. B. Roche, American Pharmaceutical Association, Washington, 1977; and Drug Delivery Systems, ed. by R. L. Juliano, Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 1980.

Problems solved by technology

Use of nucleosides to treat viral liver infections is often complicated by one of two problems.

Since NTP production is often associated with toxicity, efficacy can be limited by extrahepatic toxicities.

In other cases, the desired nucleoside is a poor kinase substrate so is not efficiently converted into the NMP and ultimately into the NTP.

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