Novel interphenylene derivatives of 11,12-secoprostaglandins are prepared by the stepwise alkylation of the ethyl ester or the t-butyl ester of acetoacetic acid. One such method involves treatment of the t-butyl ester of acetoacetic acid with a strong base to form the anion followed by treatment with ethyl p-(3-bromopropyl)benzoate to produce ethyl 4-(4-tert-butoxycarbonyl-5-oxo-hexyl)benzoate, subsequently reacting the anion of the thus-formed benzoate with 1-chloro-4-acetoxynonane to produce ethyl 4-(4-acetyl-4-tert-butoxycarbonyl-8-acetoxytridecyl)benzoate followed by decarboxylation and alkaline hydrolysis to produce the desired product 4-(4-acetyl-8-hydroxytridecyl)benzoic acid which is useful as a pharmaceutical in the treatment of patients with renal failure and in the prevention of transplant rejection.
The use of an activator or ligand of a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, other than PPAR&ggr;, or pharmaceutically acceptable derivative of said activator or ligand, in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment or prophylaxis of bone disease allows, for the first time, bone anabolism to enhance the deposition of bone in conditions which would benefit from increased bone deposition. The reverse, where there is inhibition and/or retardation of bone deposition is also facilitated.