Patent ID: 7709514

Claim:
A method of inhibiting activity of MIF comprising contacting MIF with an MIF activity-inhibiting effective amount of a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof wherein X is —N(R 6 )—; Y is —N(R 7 )—; Z is —C(O)—; R 1 is selected from hydrogen, or (CR 5 R 5′ ) n halo; R 2 is selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 2 -C 20 alkenyl, C 2 -C 20 alkynyl, (CR 12 R 12′ ) m C(O)R 8 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) m C(S)R 8 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) m S(O)R 8 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) m S(O) 2 R 8 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) m OR 9 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) m SR 9 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) n NR 10 R 11 , (CR 12 R 12′ ) m C(═NR 24 )R 22 and (CR 12 R 12′ ) m R 13 ; R 3 is selected from hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, (CR 16 R 16′ ) p NR 14 R 15 , (CR 16 R 16′ ) p OR 17 , (CR 16 R 16′ ) p halo, and (CR 16 R 16′ ) p NO 2 R 4 is hydrogen, or halogen; Each R 5 and R 5 is independently hydrogen, R 6 is hydrogen, or C 1 -C 3 alkyl; R 7 is hydrogen or C 1 -C 3 alkyl; R 8 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 2 -C 20 alkenyl, C 2 -C 20 alkynyl, OR 19 , SR 19 , N(R 20 ) 2 , [NH—CH(R 21 )—C(O)] q —OR 29 , pyranosyl and (CR 12 R 12′ ) t R 13 ; R 9 is hydrogen; R 10 and R 11 are independently selected from hydrogen, and C(O)R 23 ; Each R 12 and R 12′ is independently hydrogen; R 13 is selected from OR 25 , SR 25 , halo, N(R 25 ) 2 , and C(O)R 31 ; R 14 and R 15 are each hydrogen; Each R 16 and R 16′ is hydrogen; R 17 is hydrogen; R 19 and each R 20 are independently selected from hydrogen, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, and, (CR 26 R 26′ ) t R 27 ; R 21 is the characterising group of an amino acid wherein the amino acid is alanine, phenylalanine, serine, homoserine or norvaline; R 22 is NH(C 1-6 alkyl); R 23 is (CR 26 R 26′ ) t R 27 ; Each R 24 is independently selected from hydrogen and C 1 -C 6 alkyl; Each R 25 is independently selected from hydrogen, and C 1 -C 6 alkyl; Each R 26 and R 26′ is independently hydrogen; R 27 selected from, OR 30 , SR 30 , and aryl; Each R 29 is independently selected from hydrogen and C 1 -C 3 alkyl; Each R 30 is independently selected from, C 1 -C 3 alkyl, and heterocyclyl; R 31 is heterocyclyloxy; n is 0 or an integer from 1 to 3; m is 0 or an integer from 1 to 20; p is 0 or an integer from 1 to 6; q is an integer from 1 to 5; t is an integer from 1 to 10; wherein alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl and heterocyclyl may be optionally substituted.