Patent ID: 7709515

Claim:
A method for treating a disorder of glucose metabolism comprising administering to a patient in need of such treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of formula I: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof wherein: R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 6 )alkenyl, (C 2 -C 6 )alkynyl, phenyl, and benzyl; or R 1 , R 2 , and the carbon to which they are attached are taken together to form a (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl group; or R 3 , R 4 and the carbon to which they are attached are taken together to form a (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl group; or R 1 , R 2 , and the carbon to which they are attached and R 3 , R 4 , and the carbon to which they are attached are taken together to form a (C 3 -C 7 )cycloalkyl group, with the proviso that none of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , or R 4 is —(CH 2 ) 0-4 C≡CH; n and m are independent integers ranging from 0 to 4; K 1 and K 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of —CH 2 OH, —C(O)OH, —CHO, —C(O)OR 5 , —OC(O)R 5 , —SO 3 H, R 5 is selected from the group consisting Of (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 6 )alkenyl, (C 2 -C 6 )alkynyl, phenyl, and benzyl; each R 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl, (C 2 -C 6 )alkenyl, and (C 2 -C 6 )alkynyl; R 7 is selected from the group consisting of H, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl,(C 2 -C 6 )alkenyl, and (C 2 -C 6 )alkynyl; and with the proviso that when n and m are both 1 or both 0, then K 1 and K 2 are not both X, wherein X is selected from the group consisting of —COOH, —CHO, —C(O)OR 5 ,