2-aryl-2-fluoropropanoic acids and derivatives and pharmaceutical compositions containing them

(R,S)-2-aryl-2-fluoropropanoic acids and derivatives of formula (I) and their single (R) and (S) enantiomers,

• and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof,
• wherein
• Ar is a phenyl group unsubstituted or substituted by one or more groups independently selected from halogen, C1-C4-alkyl, C2-C4-alkenyl, C2-C4-alkynyl, C1-C4-alkoxy, hydroxy, C1-C4-acyloxy, phenoxy, cyano, nitro, amino, C1-C4-acylamino, halo-C1-C3-alkyl, halo-C1-C3-alkoxy, benzoyl, heteroarylcarbonyl, heteroaryl, linear or branched C1-C8-alkanesulfonate, linear or branched C1-C8-alkanesulfonamides, linear or branched C1-Cs-alkyl sulfonylmethyl;
• or Ar is a heteroaryl ring selected from pyridine, pyrrole, thiofene, furane, indole;
• R is OH or a residue of formula NR′R″
• wherein
• R′ group is selected from
• H, OH and
• when R′ is H, R″ is selected from
• H, C1-C5-alkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C2-C5-alkenyl, C1-C5-alkoxy;
• an heteroaryl group selected from substituted and unsubstituted pyridine, pyrimidine, pyrrole, thiofene, furane, indole, thiazole, oxazole;
• an amino acid residue consisting of straight or branched C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, C1-C6-phenylalkyl, substituted with one further carboxy (COOH) group;
• a residue of formula —CH2—CH2—Z—(CH2—CH2O)nR′ wherein R′ is H or C1-C5-alkyl, n is an integer from 0 to 2 and Z is oxygen or sulfur;
• a residue of formula —(CH2)n—NRaRb wherein n is an integer from 0 to 5 and each Ra and Rb, which may be the same or different, are C1-C6-alkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl or, alternatively, Ra and Rb, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are bound, form a heterocycle from 3 to 7 members of formula (II)
• wherein W represents a single bond, O, S, N—Rc, Rc being H, C1-C6-alkyl or C1-C6-alkylphenyl, and n is an integer from 0 to 3,
• a residue of formula SO2Rd wherein Rd is C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C2-C6-alkenyl, aryl and heteroaryl;
• when R′ is OH, R″ is selected from H, C1-C6-alkyl, C3-C6-cycloalkyl, C2-C5-alkenyl with the proviso that compounds of the general formula (I) exclude 2-(3-benzoylphenyl)-2-fluoropropanoic acid.