Cyclic sulfone containing retroviral protease inhibitors

Compound of formula ##STR72## or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, prodrug or ester thereof, wherein Y' represents O or S;

• t represents 0 or 1;
• t' represents 1 or 2;
• u represents 0, 1 or 2;
• R.sup.47 represents hydrogen or hydroxy radicals;
• R.sup.46 and R.sup.48 each represent a hydrogen radical;
• or R.sup.46 together with R.sup.47 and the carbon to which they are attached represent a carbonyl;
• or R.sup.47 together with R.sup.48 represent a bond between the carbons to which they are attached;
• R.sup.6 represents hydrogen or alkyl radicals;
• R.sup.2 represents alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl or aralkyl radicals, which radicals are optionally substituted with halogen, alkyl, --NO.sub.2, --CN, --CF.sub.3, --OR.sup.9 or --SR.sup.9 radicals, wherein R.sup.9 represents hydrogen or alkyl radicals;
• and
• Q represents a radical of formula ##STR73## wherein Y represents 0 or S;
• q represents 1 or 2;
• n represents from 0 to 6;
• R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each independently represent hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl or aralkyl radicals;
• R.sup.7 and R.sup.7' each independently represent hydrogen or alkyl radicals, or the side chain of the amino acid valine, isoleucine, alanine, alloisoleucine, asparagine, leucine, glutamine or t-butylglycine;
• or R.sup.7 and R.sup.7' together with the carbon atom to which they are attached form a cycloalkyl radical;
• R.sup.8 represents --NR.sup.4' R.sup.5', CONR.sup.4' R.sup.5' or SO.sub.2 NR.sup.4' R.sup.5' radicals;
• and
• --NR.sup.4' R.sup.5' represents a radical of the formula ##STR74## wherein R.sup.20 represents hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, aralkylaminocarbonyl or arylaminocarbonyl radicals;
• m is 2;
• p is 2;
• and r is 1;
• and
• wherein alkyl, alone or in combination, is a linear or branched hydrocarbon radical having one to eight carbon atoms;
• cycloalkyl, alone or in combination, is a cyclic alkyl radical having three to eight carbon atoms;
• and aryl, alone or in combination, means phenyl or naphthyl radicals, optionally substituted with alkyl, alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, amino or nitro radicals.