Substituted rifamycin derivatives in which a nitroimidazole, nitrothiazole or nitrofuran pharmacophore is covalently bonded to a rifamycin, methods of using the rifamycin derivatives, and pharmaceutical compositions containing the rifamycin derivatives are disclosed. Methods of synthesizing these substituted rifamycin derivatives are also disclosed. The rifamycin derivatives possess antibacterial activity, and are effective against a number of human and veterinary pathogens in the treatment of bacterial diseases.
The current invention provides a series of bicyclic nitroimidazole-substituted phenyl oxazolidinones in which a bicyclic nitroimidazole pharmacophore is covalently bonded to a phenyl oxazolidinone, their pharmaceutical compositions, and the method of use of the compositions for prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. The bicyclic nitroimidazole-substituted phenyl oxazolidinones possess surprising antibacterial activity against wild-type and resistant strains of pathogens, and are therefore useful for the prevention, control and treatment of a number of human and veterinary bacterial infections caused by these pathogens, such as
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.