Patent ID: 8455466

Claim:
A compound according to formula I in which formula R1 and R2, which are the same, represent halogen, (C 1 -C 6 )hydrocarbyl, optionally substituted with one or more fluorine atoms, or, together with the carbon atom to which they are both attached, R1 and R2 form a (C 3 -C 6 ) carbocyclic ring; R3 represents hydrogen or methyl; X represents (E)-ethenylene or (Z)-ethenylene; Y and Z independently represent hydrogen or methyl; the bond between C#16 and C#17 is depicted with a dotted line to illustrate that said bond is a single bond, in which case the projection of the ring substituent is beta; A represents hydroxyl; B represents CH 2 ; the configuration in the 3-position corresponds to the same configuration as in natural vitamin D 3 (normal), or the configuration in the 3-position is opposite to natural vitamin D 3 (epi); and in vivo hydrolysable esters and stereo isomeric forms thereof.