Substituted diphenyl isoxazoles, pyrazoles and oxadiazoles useful for treating HCV infection

A compound according to structural formula (I):

• including the pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, solvates, N-oxides and prodrugs thereof, wherein:
• X and Y are each, independently of one another, N or O, provided that X and Y are not both O;
• Z is N or —CH—, provided that Z is —CH— when X and Y are both N;
• R2, R3, R4, R5, R8, R9, R10 and R13 are each, independently of one another, selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —OH, —SH, —CN, —NO2, halo, fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo, lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl, lower heteroalkyl, substituted lower heteroalkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, lower haloalkyl, monohalomethyl, dihalomethyl, trihalomethyl, trifluoromethyl, lower alkylthio, substituted lower alkylthio, lower alkoxy, substituted lower alkoxy, methoxy, substituted methoxy, lower heteroalkoxy, substituted lower heteroalkoxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, lower haloalkoxy, monohalomethoxy, dihalomethoxy, trihalomethoxy, trifluoromethoxy, amino, lower di- or monoalkylamino, substituted lower di- or monoalkylamino, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, phenoxy, substituted phenoxy, arylalkyl, substituted arylalkyl, arylalkyloxy, substituted arylalkyloxy, benzyl, benzyloxy, carboxyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl, substituted lower alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, substituted aryloxycarbonyl, arylalkyloxycarbonyl, substituted arylalkyloxycarbonyl, carbamate, substituted carbamate, carbamoyl, substituted carbamoyl, sulfamoyl, substituted sulfamoyl and a group of the formula -L-R14, where “L” is a linker and R14 is cycloalkyl, or substituted cycloalkyl;
• R11 is hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• R12 is dihalomethyl;
• L is a linker;
• and
• R16 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl, lower heteroalkyl, substituted lower heteroalkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, lower haloalkyl, monohalomethyl, dihalomethyl, trihalomethyl, trifluoromethyl, lower alkylthio, substituted lower alkylthio, lower alkoxy, substituted lower alkoxy, lower heteroalkoxy, substituted lower heteroalkoxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, lower haloalkoxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, arylalkyl, substituted arylalkyl, arylalkyloxy, substituted arylalkyloxy, benzyl, benzyloxy, carboxyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl, substituted lower alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, substituted aryloxycarbonyl, arylalkyloxycarbonyl, substituted arylalkyloxycarbonyl, carbamate, substituted carbamate, carbamoyl, substituted carbamoyl, sulfamoyl, substituted sulfamoyl and a group of the formula -L-R14, where “L” is a linker and R14 is cycloalkyl, or substituted cycloalkyl, with the provisios that
• for (A), R16, is not a lower alkyl group;
• for (B), R16, is not a cycloheteroalkyl;
• and
• for (C), R16 is not hydrogen.