Aryl-n-aryl derivatives for treating a RNA virus infection

A compound of formula (Ic) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:

• Z is phenylene or pyridylene,
• Z′ is phenylene or pyridylene, where the ring is connected to the adjacent —C(O)— and —N(H)— in the para-orientation,
• Z″ is —CH2— or —CO—,
• Rg and Rh are each independently H or (C1-C4)alkyl,
• X2 is —CO—NRk—, —NH—CO—NH—, —OCH2—, —CH(OH)—, —NH—CO—, —O—, —O—(CH2)s—O—, —CO—, —SO2—, —NH—SO2—, —NH—, —SO2—NH—, or a divalent 5-membered heteroaromatic ring comprising 1, 2, 3 or 4 heteroatoms,
• wherein Rk is H or methyl,
• n is 0, 1, 2, or 3,
• s is 2 or 3,
• R and R′ are each independently (C1-C4)alkyl optionally interrupted by —SO2- or —SO—, (C3-C6)cycloalkyl, trifluoromethyl, halogen, (C1-C5)alkoxy, —SO2—NRaRb, —SO3H, —OH, —O—SO2—ORc, or —O—P(═O)—(ORc)(ORd),
• wherein m and m′ are independently 0, 1, or 2 and
• Ra, Rb, Rc and Rd are independently H or (C1-C4)alkyl;
• and
• Y2 is H, halogen, hydroxyl, (Ci-C4)alkoxy, piperazinyl, piperidinyl, —CR1R2R3,
• or morpholinyl optionally substituted by (C1-C4)alkyl,
• wherein Rf is (C1-C4)alkyl or cyano,
• Rq and R′q are each independently H or methyl, and
• R1, R2, and R3 are each independently H, F, or (C1-C4)alkyl, said (C1-C4)alkyl optionally substituted by trifluoromethyl and/or hydroxyl, with the proviso that no more than one of R1, R2, and R3 is a hydrogen atom,
• or R1 and R2 are taken together with the carbon atom bearing them form a (C3-C8)cycloalkyl optionally interrupted by 1 or 2 oxygen ring atom(s) and optionally substituted by one or two (C1-C4)alkyl, halogen, hydroxy, or (C1-C4)alkoxy.