Inhibitors of HIV protease

Abstract

Compounds of formula (I): ##STR1## wherein: R.sup.1 is hydrogen, alkyl, aralkyl, --COR.sup.a, --COR.sup.b, --CSR.sup.a, --CSR.sup.b, --SO.sub.2 R.sup.b, --CONHR.sup.b, --CSNHR.sup.b, --CONR.sup.b R.sup.b or --CSNR.sup.b R.sup.b ; R.sup.2 is hydrogen or alkyl; R.sup.3 is hydrogen, alkylidene, substituted alkyl, or R.sup.b ; R.sup.4 is optionally substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, or aryl; R.sup.5 is R.sup.b O--, R.sup.b R.sup.b N--, R.sup.b HN--, aralkyloxycarbonyloxy or aralkyloxycarbonylamino, or R.sup.5 is --(CH.sub.2).sub.p --D--(CH.sub.2).sub.r --, where D is a single bond, carbonyl, oxygen, sulfur, --NH--, --(CH.sub.2 .dbd.CH.sub.2)-- or --NHCO--; and p and r are each 0 or an integer from 1 to 5; A is --(CH.sub.2).sub.m --B--(CH.sub.2).sub.n -- where B is a single bond, carbonyl, oxygen, sulfur, --NH--, --(CH.sub.2 .dbd.CH.sub.2)-- or --NHCO--; and m and n are each 0 or an integer from 1 to 5; R.sup.a is alkoxy, aralkyloxy, aryloxy or alkoxycarbonyl; R.sup.b is optionally substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, aryl or arylalkenyl; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and esters thereof and pro-drugs therefor, have the ability to inhibit the activity of HIV protease and may thus be used for the treatment and prophylaxis of AIDS.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.