Patent ID: 6936634

Claim:
A method for treating cancer comprising administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a ruthernium (II) compound of formula (I): wherein R 1 and R 2 together with the ring to which they are bound represent a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic or heterocyclic group containing up to three 3- to 8- membered carbocyclic or heterocyclic rings, wherein each carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring may be fused to one or more other carbocyclic or heterocyclic rings; and wherein each of the rings may be optionally substituted by one or more groups independently selected from alkyl, aryl, alkaryl, halo, carboxy, carboxyester, carboxyamide, sulfonate, sulfonamido or alkether; R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 independently represent H, alkyl, —CO 2 R′, aryl or alkaryl, which latter two groups are optionally substituted on the aromatic ring; R′ represents alkyl, aryl or alkaryl; X is halo, H 2 O, (R′) (R″) S(O), R′ CO 2 − or (R′) (R″)C═O, where R″ represents alkyl, aryl or alkaryl; Y is a counterion; m is 0 or 1; q is 1, 2 or 3; C′ is C 1 to C 12 alkylene, optionally substituted in or on the alkylene chain, bound to two A groups; p is 0 or 1 and r is 1 when p is 0 and r is 2 when p is 1; and A and B are each independently O-donor, N-donor or S-donor ligands and one of A and B may be halo, or wherein if p is 0, A and B optionally together represent NR 7 R 8 —(CR 14 R 15 ) n —NR 9 R 10 , wherein R 7 , R 8 , R 9 and R 10 independently represent H or alky, R 14 and R 15 are hydrogen, or are linked at the same or neighbouring carbon atoms to form a carbocylic ring, and n is an interger from 1 to 4, and wherein if p is 1, A and B may together represent NR 7 —(CR 14 R 15 ) n —NR 9 R 10 .