Patent ID: 7495024

Claim:
A method for preventing or treating atherosclerotic plaque in human patients comprising administering to a patient a composition containing a compound of the formula: wherein R is hydrogen, lower alkyl, halogen, trifluoromethyl, lower alkoxy or hydroxy; Y is —O— or —S—; L is lower alkylene or lower alkenylene; X is a branched- or straight-chain lower alkylene and M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a pharmaceutically acceptable cation and a pharmaceutically acceptable metabolically cleavable group selected from —COR, —COOR, —CONRR and —CH 2 OR radicals wherein R is independently selected in each occurrence from the group consisting of alkyl, trialkylsilyl, carbocyclic aryl and carbocylic aryl substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 4 alkyl, halogen, hydroxy and C 1 -C 4 alkoxy; or pharmaceutically effective salts thereof with said compound being administered in an amount effective to prevent or treat atherosclerotic plaque consisting of a daily dosage of from about 0.2 to about 3.0 mg/kg of body weight.