Para-aryl or heterocyclic substituted phenyl glucokinase activators

An amide selected from the group consisting of a compound of the formula

• 70
• wherein R is a heteroaromatic ring, connected by a ring carbon atom, which contains from 5 to 6 ring members with from 1 to 2 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, aryl containing 6 or 10 ring carbon atoms, aryl containing from 6 to 10 ring carbon atoms fused with a heteroaromatic ring containing 5 or 6 ring members with 1 or 2 heteroatoms in the ring being selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur, or a saturated 5- or 6-membered cycloheteroalkyl ring, which contains from 1 to 2 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen, or a cycloalkyl ring having 5 or 6 carbon atoms;
• R1 is a cycloalkyl ring having 5 or 6 carbon atoms;
• R2 is
• 71
• a five- or six-membered heteroaromatic ring connected by a ring carbon atom to the amide group shown, which heteroaromatic ring contains from 1 to 3 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen with a first heteroatom being nitrogen which is adjacent to the connecting ring carbon atom, said heteroaromatic ring being unsubstituted or monosubstituted at a position on a ring carbon atom other than adjacent to said connecting carbon atom with a substituent selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl,
• —(CH2)n—OR6, 72
• n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4;
• y and z are independently 0 or 1, * denotes the asymmetric carbon atom center;
• R3 is hydrogen, lower alkyl or
• 73
• R6, R7 and R8 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• and p is an integer from 0 to 5;
• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.