Patent ID: 8877750

Claim:
A method for treating obesity which method comprises administering to a subject in need thereof a compound comprising formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable, salt, ester, amide or prodrug thereof; wherein in formula (I): A is a 6-membered aromatic ring; and R 1 is a branched or unbranched alkyl (optionally interrupted by one or more oxygen atoms), alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, reduced arylalkyl, arylalkenyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, heteroarylalkenyl, reduced aryl, reduced heteroaryl, reduced heteroarylalkyl or a substituted derivative of any of the foregoing groups, wherein the substituents are one or more independently of halogen, alkyl, halosubstituted alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, reduced heteroaryl, reduced heteroarylalkyl, arylalkoxy, cyano, nitro, —C(O)R 4 , —CO 2 R 5 , —SOR 4 —SO 2 R 4 , —NR 6 R 7 , —OR 6 , —SR 6 , —C(O)CX 1 X 2 NR 6 R 7 , —C(O)N(OH)R 6 , C(O)NR 5 R 4 , —NR 6 C(O)R 4 , —CR 6 (NH 2 )CO 2 R 6 , NHCX 1 X 2 CO 2 R 6 , —N(OH)C(O)NR 6 R 7 , —N(OH)C(O)R 4 , —NHC(O)NR 6 R 7 , —C(O)NHNR 6 R 7 , or —C(O)N(OR 5 )R 6 , with the proviso that any hetero atom substituent R 1 must be separated from the exocyclic oxygen atom by at least two carbon atoms; R 4 is hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, reduced heteroaryl, reduced heteroarylalkyl, —OR 6 , —NHCX 1 X 2 CO 2 R 6 or NR 6 R 7 ; R 5 is hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, reduced heteroaryl or reduced heteroarylalkyl; R 6 and R 7 are independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, reduced heteroaryl, reduced heteroarylalkyl or —(CH 2 )n(OR 5 )m wherein n is 1 to 12, preferably 2 to 10, wherein m is 1-3 and R 5 is most preferably C 2 -C 10 alkyl; and X 1 and X 2 are independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl, arylalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, reduced heteroaryl or reduced heteroarylalkyl; wherein the subject experiences weight loss.