The present invention relates to compounds, process for their synthesis, compositions and methods for the treatment and prevention of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In particular, the present invention provides novel compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds and methods for using these compounds in the treatment or prevention of HCV infection. The present invention also provides processes and intermediates for the synthesis of these compounds.
A novel benzene sulfonamide compound named IMB16-4 exhibits excellent anti-hepatic fibrosis activity in a recent study. To develop potential anti-hepatic fibrosis agents, a series of benzene sulfonamide derivatives were designed and synthesized based on the scaffold of the lead compound IMB16-4. As it turned out, most of the derivatives displayed potential anti-hepatic fibrosis activity, among which