Alkynyl compounds as non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A compound of formula (I):

• wherein
• R1 and R2 are each independently selected from H, halo, cyano, (C1-4)alkyl, (C2-4)alkenyl, (C2-4)alkynyl, (C3-6)cycloalkyl, —O—(C1-4)alkyl, —COO(C1-4)alkyl, —CONH2, —CONH(C1-4)alkyl and —CON((C1-4)alkyl)2;
• wherein said (C1-4)alkyl is optionally substituted with one, two or three halo substituents;
• and wherein said —O—(C1-4)alkyl is optionally substituted with —COO(C1-4)alkyl or one, two or three halo substituents;
• with the proviso that when R1 is H, R2 cannot be H;
• R3 is selected from H and halo;
• R4 is selected from (C1-4)alkyl, halo and nitro;
• Q is selected from N and CR5;
• wherein R5 is selected from H and halo;
• R6 is selected from H and halo;
• R7 is selected from —(C1-6)alkyl-R8 and a 5-membered saturated heterocycle containing one heteroatom selected from N, O and S;
• wherein said heterocycle is optionally substituted with one, two or three substituents each independently selected from (C1-6)alkyl and oxo;
• and
• wherein the (C1-6)alkyl portion of said —(C1-6)alkyl-R8 is optionally monosubstituted with —OH and optionally substituted with from one to six halo substituents;
• and
• wherein R8 is selected from:
• a) —OH, —COOH, —CONHSO2R9, —C(═O)NHOH, —OC(═O)NH2 or —NH2, wherein R9 is (C1-6)alkyl or (C3-7)cycloalkyl;
• b) —O—(C2-6)alkyl-OH, —NH—(C2-6)alkyl-OH, —O—(C1-6)alkyl-R81 or —NH—(C1-6)alkyl-R81, wherein R81 is selected from Het, —CONHSO2R9, and —COOH;
• wherein R9 is as defined above;
• c) —NHC(═O)—R82, wherein R82 is selected from (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C3-7)cycloalkyl, phenyl, —NH2, —NH(C1-6)alkyl, —N((C1-6)alkyl)2 and Het;
• each of said (C1-6)alkyl, (C2-6)alkenyl, (C3-7)cycloalkyl, phenyl and Het being optionally substituted with one or more substituents each independently selected from —OH, —COOH, —CONHSO2R9, —SO2NH2, —NH2, —NH(C1-6)alkyl, —N((C1-6)alkyl)2, Het and —NH-Het;
• wherein R9 is as defined above;
• wherein the (C1-6)alkyl portions of said —NH(C1-6)alkyl and —N((C1-6)alkyl)2 are each independently optionally substituted with —O(C1-6)alkyl, —CONHSO2R9, or —COOH;
• wherein R9 is as defined above;
• and wherein said Het and the Het portion of said —NH-Het are each optionally substituted with —COOH or —CONHSO2R9;
• wherein R9 is as defined above;
• and
• d) —C(═O)N(R83)R84, wherein R83 is selected from H and (C1-6)alkyl;
• and R84 is selected from (C1-6)alkyl and Het, each of said (C1-6)alkyl and Het being optionally substituted with one or more substituents each independently selected from —OH, —COOH, —CONHSO2R9 and —SO3H;
• wherein R9 is as defined above;
• or R83 and R84 are linked, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are bonded, to form a 5- or 6-membered monocyclic heterocycle which may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic and which may optionally contain from one to three additional heteroatoms each independently selected from N, O and S;
• said heterocycle being optionally substituted with —COOH or —CONHSO2R9;
• wherein R9 is as defined above;
• wherein Het is a 4-, 5- or 6-membered heterocycle or a 9- or 10-membered heterobicycle, each of which may be saturated, unsaturated or aromatic and each of which may optionally contain from one to four heteroatoms each independently selected from N, O and S, wherein each said N heteroatom may, independently and where possible, exist in an oxidized state such that it is further bonded to an oxygen atom to form an N-oxide group and wherein each said S heteroatom may, independently and where possible, exist in an oxidized state such that it is further bonded to one or two oxygen atoms to form the groups SO or SO2;
• or a salt or ester thereof.