Therapeutic agents

Compounds formula I

• or racemic-diastereomeric mixtures, optical isomers, pharmaceutically-acceptable salts, prodrugs or biologically active metabolites thereof in which
• L1 represents a group of formula (E)s(CH2)q in which E represents NR24, O or S, s is 0 or 1 and q is an integer from 0 to 6, provided that when s is 1 q is at least 1, in which the alkylene chain is optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• a C1-6 alkyl group optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, halo or optionally substituted amino;
• a C1-6 alkoxy group optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, halo or optionally substituted amino;
• hydroxy;
• halo;
• or optionally substituted amino;
• A represents CONH, NHCO, SO2NH, NHSO2, or NR25;
• L2 represents C(═O), C(═NH), or a group of formula (CH2)r in which r is an integer from 0 to 6 in which the alkylene chain is optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• a C1-6 alkyl group optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, halo or optionally substituted amino;
• a C1-6 alkoxy group optionally substituted by one or more hydroxy, halo or optionally substituted amino;
• hydroxy;
• halo;
• or optionally substituted amino;
• R2 represents a C1-6 alkyl group optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• halo, hydroxy, C1-6 alkoxy or optionally substituted amino;
• a C1-6 alkoxy group optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• halo, hydroxy, C1-6 alkoxy or optionally substituted amino;
• or R2 is halo, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, carbamoyl, a C1-6 alkanoylgroup, a (C1-6 alkoxy)carbonyl group or optionally substituted amino;
• n represents 0,1,2 or 3
• X represents a) substituted methylene b) carbonyl, c) oxygen, d) a group of formula —C═NOR7 in which R7 represents H or a C1-6 alkyl group, e) a group of formula NR8 in which R8 represents H, an optionally substituted C1-6 alkyl group or optionally substituted phenyl, f) a group of formula (CH2)n in which n is 1, 2 or 3, or g) a group of formula S(O)p in which p is 0, 1 or 2;
• R3, R4, R5 and R6 independently represent a) H, b) halo, c) C1-6 alkyl group optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• hydroxy, a C1-6 alkoxy group, halo or an optionally substituted amino group d) a C1-6 alkoxy group optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• hydroxy;
• a C1-6 alkoxy group;
• halo;
• or an optionally substituted amino group provided that these groups are not attached to the carbon which is attached to the oxygen of the alkoxy group;
• e) optionally substituted phenoxy, f) hydroxy, g) a group formula CORa in which Ra represents hydroxy, a C1-6 alkoxy group or Ra represents an optionally substituted amino group, h) an optionally substituted amino group i) a C1-6 alkanoyl group j) nitro, k) optionally substituted phenyl C1-6 alkyl, l) optionally substituted phenyl C1-6 alkoxy m) cyano;
• or o) a C2-4 alkenyl group or a C2-4 alkynyl group each of which is optionally substituted by phenyl which is optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• a C1-6 alkyl group, a C1-6 alkoxy group or halo;
• and
• 1) when A is SO2NH, or NHSO2:
• R1 represents a) optionally substituted phenyl b) optionally substituted heteroaryl, c) a five, six, seven or eight membered saturated heterocyclic ring containing a nitrogen atom which optionally contains an additional hetero atom selected from O, S or N and is optionally substituted by a C1-6 alkyl group wherein said saturated ring may be attached through carbon or a hetero atom d) an optionally substituted amino group or e) a C1-6 alkoxy group;
• 2) when A represents CONH or NHCO:
• R1 represents a) phenyl substituted by nitro or one or more C1-6 alkoxy groups optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• halo, hydroxy, C1-6 alkoxy or optionally substituted amino b) optionally substituted heteroaryl or c) a five, six, seven or eight membered saturated heterocyclic ring containing a nitrogen atom which optionally contains an additional hetero atom selected from O, S or N and is optionally substituted by a C1-6 alkyl group wherein said saturated ring is attached through a carbon atom or d) a C1-6 alkoxy group;
• 3) when A represents a group NR25 and q is at least 1:
• R1 represents a) optionally substituted phenyl b) optionally substituted heteroaryl or c) optionally substituted amino group;
• and
• 4) when A represents a group NR25 and q is 0 and s is 0 then R1 represents optionally substituted heteroaryl;
• R24 and R25 independently represent H;
• a C1-6 alkyl group optionally substituted by one or more of the following:
• hydroxy, a C1-6 alkoxy group, halo or an optionally substituted amino group;
• a C1-6 alkanoyl group or a C1-6 alkylsulphonyl group;
• provided that no two hereto atoms are attached to the same sp3 hybridized carbon atom.