Symmetrical bis-heteroarylmethoxy-phenylalkyl carboxylates as inhibitors of leukotriene biosynthesis

A compound of formula:

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof:
• wherein W is the same at each occurrence and is selected from the group consisting of
• (a) benzothiazolyl;
• (b) benzothiazolyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• phenyl,
• phenyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• haloalkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms,
• pyridyl, and
• pyridyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms;
• (c) benzoxazolyl;
• (d) benzoxazolyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• phenyl,
• phenyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• haloalkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms,
• pyridyl, and
• pyridyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms;
• (e) benzimidazolyl;
• (f) benzimidazolyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• phenyl,
• phenyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• haloalkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms,
• pyridyl, and
• pyridyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms;
• (g) thiazolyl, and
• (h) thiazolyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• phenyl,
• phenyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• haloalkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms,
• pyridyl, and
• pyridyl substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of:
• halogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms;
• R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of:
• (a) hydrogen,
• (b) alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• (c) haloalkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• (d) alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms, and
• (e) halogen;
• R.sup.3 is selected from the group consisting of
• (a) hydrogen and
• (b) alkyl of one to six carbon atoms;
• X is absent or is selected from the group consisting of:
• (a) alkylene of one to six carbon atoms,
• (b) alkenylene of one to six carbon atoms, and
• (c) alkynylene of one to six carbon atoms;
• Z is selected from the group consisting of:
• (a) --COM,
• (b) --CH.dbd.N--O--A--COM,
• (c) --CH.sub.2 O--N.dbd.A--COM, and
• (d) --OR.sup.3 where R.sup.3 is hydrogen or alkyl of one to six carbon atoms
• wherein
• A is selected from the group consisting of
• (a) alkylene of one to six carbon atoms, and
• (b) cycloalkylene of three to eight carbon atoms;
• and
• M is selected from the group consisting of
• (a) a pharmaceutically acceptable metabolically cleavable group,
• (b) --OR.sup.3 where R.sup.3 is selected from the group consisting of:
• hydrogen, and
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms, and
• (c) --NR.sup.7 R.sup.8 where R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 are independently selected from the group consisting of:
• hydrogen,
• alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• hydroxy, and
• alkoxy of one to six carbon atoms,
• or R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 taken together define a five- to eight-membered ring, with the proviso that R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 may not simultaneously be hydroxyl,
• (d) --NR.sup.3 SO.sub.2 R.sup.9 wherein R.sup.3 is as defined above and R.sup.9 is alkyl of one to six carbon atoms,
• (e) --NH-tetrazolyl, and
• (f) glycinyl.