Prodrugs, their preparation and use as pharmaceuticals

A method for the treatment of diseases in which intracellular enzymes are released or are made accessible by cell damage, which method comprises administering to a host in need of said treatment an effective amount of a glycosyl-spacer-drug compound;

• wherein the glycosyl radical is a mono-, oligo- or polysaccharide which can be cleaved off enzymatically;
• wherein the drug is a compound which has antitumor or antiinflammatory or immunosuppressant properties, and the drug contains an OH or NH.sub.2 group which is capable of coupling;
• and
• wherein the spacer is self-eliminating and is bonded via O or N to the glycosyl radical and via O or N to the drug.