Institut für Pharmazie, Abteilung Pharmazeutische Chemie, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52a, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Gerhard.Puerstinger@uibk.ac.at
A novel class of inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus [substituted 2-(2-fluorophenyl)-5H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridines] is described. Introduction of a fluorine in position 2 of the 2-phenyl substituent of the lead anti-pestivirus compound 1 (5-[(4-bromophenyl)methyl]-2-phenyl-5H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine) resulted in an analogue with selective activity against HCV in the subgenomic replicon system.