This invention concerns compounds and a pharmaceutical composition of the structure: wherein: 1 R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, and substituted aryl which group will produce a natural amino acid structure or an unnatural amino acid structure, and the carbon adjacent to R.sup.1 is in the D or L configuration; R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of --F and 2 wherein R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are each selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, fluoro, chloro, carboxyl, alkoxy, alkyl carbonyl, aryl carbonyl, and amino; R.sup.5 and R.sup.5' are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, fluoro, chloro, carboxy, alkoxy, alkyl carbonyl, aryl carbonyl, and amino, R.sup.6 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryl or substituted aryl, and m is 1, 2 or 3. These compounds are reagents and pharmaceutical compositions have pro-drug and apoptosis properties and are useful in a variety of therapies, for diseases such as arthritis, ALS, MS, and the like.