2-substituted benzimidazoles

1. A compound having the formula

an addition salt or stereochemically isomeric form thereof, wherein

Q is hydroxy, C 1-6 alkyloxy, C 1-6 alkylcarbonylamino, C 1-6 alkyloxycarbonylamino, carboxyl, C 1-6 alkyloxycarbonyl, C 1-6 alkylcarbonyl, cyano, aminocarbonyl, mono or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminocarbonyl, polyhaloC 1-6 alkyl;

each Alk independently represents C 1-6 alkanediyl;

R 1 is Ar 2 or a monocyclic or bicyclic heterocycle selected from piperidinyl, piperazinyl, morpholinyl, thiomorpholinyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrimidinyl, furanyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, pyrazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, quinolinyl, quinoxalinyl, benzofuranyl, benzothienyl, benzimidazolyl, benzoxazolyl, benzthiazolyl, pyridopyridyl, naphthiridinyl, 1H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridinyl, 3H-imidazo[4,5-b]-pyridinyl, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridinyl and 2,3-dihydro-1,4-dioxino[2,3-b]pyridyl; wherein each of said monocyclic or bicyclic heterocycles may optionally be substituted with 1, 2, or 3 substituents each independently selected from the group consisting of halo, hydroxy, amino, cyano, carboxyl, C 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkyloxy, C 1-6 alkylthio, C 1-6 alkyloxyC 1-6 alkyl, hydroxyC 1-6 alkyl, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)-amino, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminoC 1-6 alkyl, polyhaloC 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkyl-carbonylamino, C 1-6 alkyloxycarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, mono- and di-C 1-6 alkylaminocarbonyl;

R 2 is hydrogen or C 1-6 alkyl;

R 3 and R 4 independently from each other are hydrogen, C 1-6 alkyl, Ar 2 , Ar 2 C 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkylcarbonyl, Ar 2 carbonyl, Ar 2 C 1-6 alkylcarbonyl, C 1-6 alkylsulfonyl, aminosulfonyl, Ar 1 sulfonyl, Ar 1 C 1-6 alkylsulfonyl, C 1-6 alkyloxyC 1-6 alkyl, aminoC 1-6 alkyl, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminoC 1-6 alkyl, hydroxyC 1-6 alkyl, aminocarbonylC 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkyloxycarbonylC 1-6 alkyl, hydroxycarbonyl-C 1-6 alkyl, aminosulfonylC 1-6 alkyl, Het, Het-C 1-6 alkyl, Het-carbonyl, Het-sulfonyl, HetC 1-6 alkylsulfonyl and Het-C 1-6 alkylcarbonyl;

Ar 1 is phenyl or phenyl substituted with 1 or more, such as 2, 3 or 4, substituents selected from halo, hydroxy, C 1-6 alkyl, hydroxyC 1-6 alkyl, polyhaloC 1-6 alkyl, and C 1-6 alkyloxy;

Ar 2 is phenyl or phenyl substituted with 1 or more, such as 2, 3, 4 or 5, substituents selected from halo, cyano, C 1-6 alkyl, C 2-6 alkenyl, C 2-6 alkynyl, cyanoC 1-6 alkyl, cyanoC 2-6 alkenyl, cyanoC 2-6 alkynyl, Ar 1 , Ar 1 C 1-6 alkyl, R 5b —O—, R 5b —S—, —N(R 5a R 5b ), polyhaloC 1-6 alkyl, polyhaloC 1-6 alkyloxy, R 6 —C(═O)—, R 5b —O—C(═O)—, N(R 5a R 5b )—C(═O)—, N(R 5a R 5b )-sulfonyl, R 5b —O—C 1-6 alkyl, R 5b —S—C 1-6 alkyl, R 6 —S(═O) 2 —C 1-6 alkyl, N(R 5a R 5b )—C 1-6 alkyl, R 6 —C(═O)—C 1-6 alkyl, R 5b —O—C(═O)—C 1-6 alkyl, N(R 5a R 5b )—C(═O)—C 1-6 alkyl, R 6 —C(═O)—NR 5b —, R 6 —S(═O) 2 -amino, R 6 —C(═O)—O—, R 6 —C(═O)—NR 5b —C 1-6 alkyl, R 6 —C(═O)—O—C 1-6 alkyl;

R 5a is hydrogen, C 1-6 alkyl, Ar 1 , Ar 1 C 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkylcarbonyl, Ar 1 carbonyl, Ar 1 C 1-6 alkylcarbonyl, C 1-6 alkylsulfonyl, Ar 1 sulfonyl, Ar 1 C 1-6 alkylsulfonyl, C 1-6 alkyloxyC 1-6 alkyl, aminoC 1-6 alkyl, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminoC 1-6 alkyl, hydroxyC 1-6 alkyl, Het, Het-C 1-6 alkyl, Het-carbonyl, Het-sulfonyl, Het-C 1-6 alkyl-carbonyl;

R 5b is hydrogen, C 1-6 alkyl, Ar 1 or Ar 1 C 1-6 alkyl;

R 6 is C 1-6 alkyl, Ar 1 or Ar 1 C 1-6 alkyl;

Het is a heterocycle being selected from tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydrothienyl, pyrrolidinyl, pyrrolidinonyl, furanyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, pyrazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, thiadiazolyl, piperidinyl, homopiperidinyl, piperazinyl, morpholinyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrimidinyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, benzodioxanyl, benzodioxolyl, indolinyl, indolyl, each of said heterocycle may optionally be substituted with oxo, amino, Ar 1 , C 1-6 alkyl, aminoC 1-6 alkyl, Ar 1 C 1-6 alkyl, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminoC 1-6 alkyl, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)amino, hydroxyC 1-6 alkyl, C 1-6 alkoxyC 1-6 alkyl, cyanoC 1-6 alkyl, aminocarbonyl-C 1-6 -alkyl, mono- or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminocarbonyl-C 1-6 -alkyl, carboxyl-C 1-6 -alkyl, C 1-6 alkoxy-carbonyl-C 1-6 alkyl.

2. A compound according to claim 1 wherein the compound has the formula (I-a):

wherein Q, R 1 , Alk and R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are as claimed in claim 1 .

3. A compound according to claims 1 - 2 wherein R 1 is pyridyl substituted with 1 or 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, C 1-6 alkyl, halo, C 1-6 alkyloxy, Ar 1 C 1-6 alkyloxy and (C 1-6 alkyloxy)C 1-6 alkyloxy.

4. A compound according to in any of claims 1 - 3 , wherein each Alk is methylene.

5. A compound according to any of claims 1 - 4 , wherein R 2 is hydrogen.

6. A compound according to any of claims 1 - 5 , wherein R 3 is hydrogen, hydroxy-C 1-6 alkyl, aminocarbonylC 1-6 alkyl, mono- and di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminocarbonylC 1-6 alkyl.

7. A compound according to any of claims 1 - 6 , wherein R 4 is Ar 2 .

8. A compound according to any of claims 1 - 7 , wherein Q is hydroxy, C 1-6 alkyloxy, C 1-6 alkylcarbonylamino, carboxyl, aminocarbonyl, mono or di(C 1-6 alkyl)aminocarbonyl.

9. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and as active ingredient a therapeutically effective amount of a compound as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 .

10. A process for preparing a compound as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 , said process comprising:

(a) reacting a benzimidazole derivative of formula (II) with an amine of formula (III) as in the following reaction scheme:

wherein W is an appropriate leaving group;

(b) conducting a reductive amination process starting from an aldehyde or ketone of formula (IV) wherein Alk′ has the same meaning of the radical Alk, but lacks one hydrogen atom, which intermediate (IV) is reacted with the amine (III) in the presence of a reducing agent:

wherein in the above schemes Q, Alk, R1, R2, R3, R4 have the meanings defined in any of claims 1 to 8 above;

(c) converting a compound of formula (I) into its salt form by treatment with a base or acid or conversely converting a salt form of a compound of formula (I) into its free form by treatment with an acid or base.