Imidazole Compound

1 . An imidazole compound of the formula (1):

wherein Ring A is benzene or a heterocyclic ring;

G is —S(O) p —R 7 , —O—R 7 , —N(R 8 )—R 7 or

Ring B is benzene, a heterocyclic ring, a cycloalkane or a cycloalkene;

Ring C is a group selected from the following formulae:

provided that when G is —S(O) p —R 7 , —O—R 7 or —N(R 8 )—R 7 , Ring C is a group of the formula (i);

R 1 is a group selected from the following formulae:

R 2 and R 3 may be the same or different from each other, and each is cyano, nitro, hydroxyl, an optionally substituted alkoxy, a halogen, an alkanoyl, carboxy, an alkoxycarbonyl, a heterocyclic group, an optionally substituted carbamoyl, an optionally substituted amino or an optionally substituted alkyl; provided that when m is 2, two R 2 s may be the same or different from each other, and when n is 2, two R 3 s may be the same or different from each other;

m and n may be the same or different from each other, and each is 0, 1 or 2;

R 4 is hydrogen, an alkoxy, an optionally substituted amino, an optionally substituted alkyl, an alkoxycarbonyl, an optionally substituted carbamoyl, carboxy, formyl or an optionally substituted heterocyclic group;

R 5 and R 6 may be the same or different from each other, and each is hydrogen, an optionally substituted alkyl, an optionally substituted cycloalkyl (wherein the cycloalkyl may be fused with an aryl), an optionally substituted aryl, an optionally substituted heterocyclic group, or an alkoxycarbonyl, or R 5 and R 6 may form an optionally substituted heterocyclic ring in combination with atom(s) to which they are bonded;

R 7 is an optionally substituted alkyl, an optionally substituted aryl or an optionally substituted heterocyclic group;

p is 0, 1 or 2;

R 8 is hydrogen or an alkyl;

R 9 is hydrogen or an alkyl, or R 4 and R 9 may be combined to form an alkylene; and

R 10 is hydrogen or an alkyl;

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

2 . An imidazole compound of the formula (1a) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 ,

wherein Ring A, Ring B, Ring C, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , m and n have the same meanings as defined in claim 1 .

3 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein Ring A is benzene, pyridine, pyrimidine, thiazole, oxazole or thiophene.

4 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein Ring B is benzene, pyridine, pyrimidine, thiazole, thiophene, quinoline, pyrrole, benzo[b]thiophene, thieno[2,3-b]pyridine, thieno[3,2-b]pyridine, 1,4-benzodioxane, piperidine, oxazole or cyclohexene.

5 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein Ring B is a five-membered aromatic heterocyclic ring.

6 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein Ring B is thiophene.

7 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein Ring A and Ring B may be the same or different from each other and each is benzene or pyridine.

8 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein R 1 is a group selected from the following formulae:

wherein R 5 and R 6 have the same meanings as defined in claim 1 .

9 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein R 1 is a group of the following formulae:

wherein R 5 and R 6 have the same meanings as defined in claim 1 .

10 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein R 1 is a group of the following formula:

wherein R 5 and R 6 have the same meanings as defined in claim 1 .

11 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein R 6 is hydrogen, an alkoxycarbonyl or an alkyl which may be substituted by hydroxy or an alkoxy, and R 5 is hydrogen or an alkyl which may be substituted by the same or different 1 to 3 groups selected from the following formulae:

optionally substituted heterocyclic group

wherein R 11 is hydrogen, an alkyl or a hydroxyalkyl; R 12 and R 13 may be the same or different from each other, and each is hydrogen, an alkyl, a hydroxyalkyl or an alkoxyalkyl; and R 14 and R 15 may be the same or different from each other, and each is hydrogen, an alkyl, an alkoxycarbonyl, an alkanoyl or an optionally substituted heterocyclic group.

12 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein m and n may be the same or different from each other, and each is 0 or 1.

13 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein R 2 and R 3 may be the same or different from each other, and each is an alkoxy, a halogen, an optionally substituted alkyl or an optionally substituted amino.

14 . The imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 , wherein R 4 is a substituted alkyl optionally substituted by 1 to 3 halogens.

15 . A medicine composition comprising the imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

16 . A method of treatment or prophylaxis comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment or prophylaxis of a disease against which a large conductance calcium-activated K channel opening activity is efficacious an effective amount of the imidazole compound or a pharmaceutically effective salt thereof according to claim 1 .

17 . The method according to claim 16 , which is for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of pollakiuria, urinary incontinence, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.