Protease inhibitors

A compound of formula I

• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or a stereoisomer thereof,
• wherein Cx is selected from the group consisting of COOH and CONR5R6,
• wherein X and Y, the same or different, are selected from the group consisting of H, a straight alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, F, Cl, Br, I, —CF3, —CN, —NO2, —NR5R6, —NHCOR5, —OR5, —SR5, —COOR5, —COR5, and —CH2OH or X and Y together define an ethyleneoxy group of formula —OCH2CH2—, or —CH2CH2O—, or an alkylenedioxy group selected from the group consisting of a methylenedioxy group of formula —OCH2O—, and an ethylenedioxy group of formula —OCH2CH2O—,
• wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of a straight alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkylalkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms in the cycloalkyl part thereof and 1 to 3 carbon atoms in the alkyl part thereof, 2-pyridyl-CH2—, 3-pyridyl-CH2—, and 4-pyridyl-CH2—,
• wherein R2 is selected from the group consisting of H, a straight alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, 2-pyridyl-CH2—, 3-pyridyl-CH2—, 4-pyridyl-CH2—,
• a benzenesulfonyl group of formula
• a thiophenesulfonyl group of formula
• a group selected from the group of
• a group of formula
• a group selected from the group of formula
• and a group of formula R2A—CO—, R2A being selected from the group consisting of a straight or branched alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkylalkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms in the cycloalkyl part thereof and 1 to 3 carbon atoms in the alkyl part thereof, an alkyloxy group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, tetrahydro-3-furanyloxy, —CH2OH, —CF3, —CH2CF3, —CH2CH2CF3, piperonyl, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, 4-morpholinyl, CH3O2C—, CH3O2CCH2—, Acetyl-OCH2CH2—, HO2CCH2—, 3-hydroxyphenyl, 4-hydroxyphenyl, 4-CH3OC6H4—CH2—, CH3NH—, (CH3)2N—, (CH3CH2)2N—, (CH2CH2CH2)2N—, HOCH2CH2NH—, CH3OCH2O—, CH3OCH2CH2O—, C6H5CH2O—, 2-pyrrolyl, 2-pyridyl(unsubstituted or substituted), 3-pyridyl(unsubstituted or substituted), 4-pyridyl-(unsubstituted or substituted), 2-pyrazinyl (unsubstituted or substituted with H, alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms), 2-quinolyl, 3-quinolyl, 4-quinolyl, 1-isoquinolyl, 3-isoquinolyl, 2-quinoxalinyl,
• a phenyl group of formula
• a picolyl group selected from the group consisting of
• a picolylamine group selected from the group
• a picolyloxy group selected from the group consisting of
• a substituted pyridyl group selected from the group consisting of
• a group selected from the group consisting of
• wherein X′ and Y′, the same or different, are selected from the group consisting of H, a straight alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, F, Cl, Br, I, —CF3, —NO2, —NR5R6, —NHCOR5, —OR5, —SR5, —COOR5, —COR5, —OCF3, —CN and —CH2OH,
• wherein R4 is selected from the group consisting of H, a straight alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, and a cycloalkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms,
• wherein R5 and R6, the same or different, are selected from the group consisting of H, a straight alkyl group of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a branched alkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, and a cycloalkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms,
• wherein R3 is selected from the group consisting of a diphenylmethyl group of formula IV
• a naphthyl-1-CH2— group of formula V
• a naphthyl-2-CH2— group of formula VI
• a biphenylmethyl group of formula VII
• and an anthryl-9-CH2— group of formula VIII