Patent ID: 7396851

Claim:
A method of treating β-thalassemia, comprising: administering as a medicament, to a patient suffering from β-thalassemia, a structural analogue of distamycin selected from the group consisting of: compounds of formula (I): in which: n is an integer selected from 2, 3 and 4, R is 4-[(ZCH 2 CH 2 ) 2 N]C 6 H 4 CONH, and Z is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and I; compounds of formula (II): in which: n is an integer selected from 0 (zero), 1 and 2, Z is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and I, A, B, C and D are each CH, X 1 , X 2 , X 3 and X 4 are each CH; compounds of formula (III): in which: n is an integer selected from 2, 3 and 4, T is selected from the group consisting of 4-[(ZCH 2 CH 2 ) 2 N]C 6 H 4 CONH,(ZCH 2 CH 2 ) 2 N, and CH 2 =CZCONH, Z is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, F and I, E is selected from the group consisting of O (oxygen), S and NR 1 , R 1 is H or CH 3 , and G is CH or N; compounds of formula (IV): in which: n is an integer selected from 1, 2, 3 and 4; T is selected from the group consisting of 4-[(ZCH 2 CH 2 ) 2 N]C 6 H 4 CONH, (ZCH 2 CH 2 ) 2 N, and CH 2 =CZCONH; Z is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and I; A is selected from the group consisting of O (oxygen), S and NR 1 ; R 1 is linear or branched alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; B is CH or N; compounds of formula (V): in which: R 1 and R 2 are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of hydrogen, linear or branched alkyl having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, nitrile (CN) and hydroxyl (OH), or R 1 and R 2 form, in combination with one another, a linear alkyl chain —(CH 2 )m —in which m is 2 or 3; and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.