| abstract |
The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I), (II) or (III), pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters or prodrugs, wherein W is a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic ring system. The compound inhibits serine protease activity, in particular hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3-NS4A protease. The compounds of the present invention thus interfere with the life cycle of hepatitis C virus and are also useful as antiviral agents. The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the aforementioned compounds for administration to a subject suffering from HCV infection. The invention also relates to methods of treating HCV infection in a subject by administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound of the invention.n n n n n n n n n n (I) (II) (III) |