Imidazole derivatives useful as inhibitors of FAAH

1. A compound of the formula I:

X is S or SO;

R 12 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) —C 1-4 alkyl,

(2) -haloC 1-4 alkyl,

(3) H;

n is 0, 1 or 2;

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl, and

(2) HET 1 ,

wherein choice (1) and (2), is optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents R 4 and R 5 , which are independently selected from the group consisting of:

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) mono, di or tri-halo C 1-4 alkyl,

(d) —OC 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or amino,

(e) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with one or two substituents selected from hydroxyl, CN, —CHF 2 and —CF 3 ,

(f) —C 1-2 alkyl-C 3-6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or CN,

(g) —S(O) n C 1-4 alkyl,

(h) —S(O) n NR 6 R 7 ,

(i) —C(O)—NH—NR 8 R 9 ,

(j) —C(O)—OH,

(k) —C(O)—OC 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted with halo or hydroxy,

(l) —C(O)—NR 10 R 11 ,

(m) —C(O)—C 1-4 alkyl optionally mono, di or tri substituted with halo,

(o) —C(NR 12 )—NR 13 R 14 ,

(p) HET 4 ,

(q) aryl,

(r) —C(O)—NH—NH—C(O)H,

(s) —CH 2 —C(O)—O—C 1-4 alkyl, whereas the CH 2 may be optionally substituted with C 1-4 alkyl or OH

(t) —CH 2 —C(O)NR 15 R 16 , whereas the CH 2 may be optionally substituted with C 1-4 alkyl or OH, and

(u) —NR 17 R 18 ,

wherein choices (p) and (q) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents selected from

(1) halo,

(2) —CN,

(3) —OH,

(4) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or cyano,

(5) —CF 3 ,

(6) —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or halo,

(7) —C(O)OH, and

(8) —C(O)O—C 1-3 alkyl;

(9) —C(O)—NR 19 R 20 ,

(10) —NH 2 ,

(11) Oxo,

(12) ═S,

wherein R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , R 16 , R 17 , R 18 , R 19 and R 20 , are each independently selected from H and C 1-4 alkyl,

or

R 6 and R 7 or R 8 and R 9 or R 10 and R 11 or R 13 and R 14 or R 15 and R 16 or R 17 and R 18 or R 19 and R 20 are joined together so that together with the atoms to which they are attached there is formed a 5-membered heterocyclic ring of 4 to 7 atoms, said ring containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said ring being optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from halo, hydroxyl, oxo, C 1-4 alkyl, hydroxyC 1-4 alkyl, haloC 1-4 alkyl, —C(O)—C 1-4 alkyl and —S(O)nC 1-4 alkyl;

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl,

(2) HET 3 ,

(3) —CH 2 -aryl,

(4) —CH 2 —HET 3 ,

(5) —C 1-6 alkyl, and

(6) —C 3-6 cycloalkyl,

wherein choice (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) is optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) —OH,

(d) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or cyano,

(e) —CF 3 ,

(f) —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or halo,

(g) —C(O)O—C 1-3 alkyl;

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl,

(2) HET 5 , and

(3) C 3-6 cycloalkyl,

wherein choice (1), (2) and (3) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) hydroxy,

(b) halo,

(c) —C 3-6 cycloalkyl,

(d) —OC3-5cycloalkyl,

(e) —C 1-4 alkyl,

(f) —OC 1-4 alkyl,

(g) —C(O)CH 3

(h) mono, di or tri-halo C 1-4 alkyl,

(i) mono, di or tri-halo —OC 1-4 alkyl, and

(j) —S(O) n —C 1-4 alkyl.

2. A compound of claim 1

wherein:

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyridinyl,

(3) pyridazinyl,

(4) pyrimidinyl,

(5) pyrazinyl,

(6) thiazolyl,

(7) thienyl,

(8) pyrrolyl,

(9) oxazolyl, and

(10) a bicyclic ring selected from the group consisting of:

wherein choice of (1) to (9) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents R 4 and R 5 , which are independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) mono, di or tri-halo C 1-4 alkyl,

(d) —O—C 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted with hydroxyl, halo or amino

(e) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or CN,

(f) —C 1-2 alkyl-C 3-6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy,

(h) —S(O) n C 1-4 alkyl wherein n is 0, 1 or 2,

(i) —S(O) n NR 6 R 7 ,

(j) —C(O)—NR 10 R 11 ,

(k) HET 4 ,

(l) aryl, and

wherein choices (k) and (l) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents selected from

(1) halo,

(2) —CN,

(3) —OH,

(4) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or cyano,

(5) —CF 3 ,

(6) —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or halo,

(7) —C(O)OH,

(8) —C(O)O—C 1-3 alkyl, and

(9) —C(O)—NR 19 R 20 ,

wherein R 6 , R 7 , R 10 , R 11 , R 19 and R 20 , are each independently selected from H and C 1-4 alkyl, or

R 6 and R 7 or R 10 and R 11 or R 19 and R 20 are joined together so that together with the atoms to which they are attached there is formed a 5 membered heterocyclic ring of 4 to 7 atoms, said ring containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said ring being optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from halo, hydroxyl, C 1-4 alkyl, —C(O)—C 1-4 alkyl and —S(O) n C 1-4 alkyl.

3. A compound of claim 2

wherein:

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyridinyl,

(3) pyrimidinyl,

(4) pyrazinyl, and

(5) pyridazinyl,

optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents R 4 and R 5 , which are independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy,

(b) —S(O) n C 1-4 alkyl,

(c) —C(O)—NR 10 R 11 ,

(d) HET 4 , and

(e) halo,

wherein choice (d) is optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents selected from:

(1) halo,

(2) —CN,

(3) —OH,

(4) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or cyano,

(5) —CF 3 ,

(6) —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or halo,

(7) —C(O)OH, and

(8) —C(O)O—C 1-3 alkyl, and

(9) —C(O)—NR 19 R 20 ,

wherein R 10 , R 11 , R 19 and R 20 are each independently selected from H and C 1-4 alkyl, or R 10 and R 11 or R 19 and R 20 are joined together so that together with the atoms to which they are attached there is formed a 5 membered heterocyclic ring of 4 to 7 atoms, said ring containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said ring being optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from halo, hydroxyl, C 1-4 alkyl, —C(O)—C 1-4 alkyl and —S(O)nC 1-4 alkyl.

4. A compound of claim 1

wherein:

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl,

(2) HET 3 ,

(3) —C 1-6 alkyl, and

(4) —C 1-6 cycloalkyl,

wherein choice (1), (2), (3), and (4) is optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) —OH,

(d) -Hydroxy C 1-4 alkyl,

(e) —C 1-4 alkyl,

(f) —C 1-4 haloalkyl, and

(g) —OC 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted with halo or hydroxyl.

5. A compound of claim 4

wherein:

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl, and

(2) HET 3 ,

wherein choice (1) and (2) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) —OH,

(d) -hydroxy C 1-4 alkyl,

(e) —CH 3 ,

(f) —CF 3 , and

(g) —OCH 3 .

6. A compound of claim 5

wherein:

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyridinyl,

(3) pyridazinyl,

(4) pyrimidinyl,

(5) pyrizinyl,

(5) thiazolyl,

(6) oxazolyl, and

(7) pyrazolyl,

wherein choice (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with halo, OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, —C 1-4 -haloalkyl, hydroxyl and CN.

7. A compound of claim 1

wherein

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl, and

(2) HET 5 ,

wherein choice (1) and (2) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of:

(a) halo,

(b) —C 1-6 cycloalkyl,

(c) —C 1-4 alkyl,

(d) —OC 1-4 alkyl,

(e) mono, di or tri-halo C 1-4 alkyl, and

(f) mono, di or tri-halo —OC 1-4 alkyl.

8. A compound of claim 7

wherein

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyrimidinyl,

(3) pyridinyl,

wherein choices (1), (2) and (3) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with halo, haloC 1-4 alkyl, or —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with halo.

9. A compound of claim 1 wherein X is S and R 12 is methyl.

10. A compound of claim 1 of the Formula

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyridinyl,

(3) pyridazinyl,

(4) pyrimidinyl,

(5) pyrazinyl,

(6) thiazolyl,

(7) thienyl,

(8) pyrrolyl,

(9) oxazolyl, and

(10) a bicyclic ring selected from the group consisting of:

wherein choice of (1) to (9) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents R 4 and R 5 , which are independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) mono, di or tri-halo C 1-4 alkyl,

(d) —O—C 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted with hydroxyl, halo or amino

(e) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or CN,

(f) —C 1-2 alkyl-C 1-6 cycloalkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy,

(h) —S(O) n C 1-4 alkyl wherein n is 0, 1 or 2,

(i) —S(O) n NR 6 R 7 ,

(j) —C(O)—NR 10 R 11 ,

(k) HET 4 ,

(l) aryl, and

wherein choices (k) and (l) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents selected from

(1) halo,

(2) —CN,

(3) —OH,

(4) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or cyano,

(5) —CF 3 ,

(6) —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or halo,

(7) —C(O)OH,

(8) —C(O)O—C 1-3 alkyl, and

(9) —C(O)—NR 19 R 20 ,

wherein R 6 , R 7 , R 10 , R 11 , R 19 and R 20 , are each independently selected from H and C 1-4 alkyl, or

R 6 and R 7 or R 10 and R 11 or R 19 and R 20 are joined together so that together with the atoms to which they are attached there is formed a 5 membered heterocyclic ring of 4 to 7 atoms, said ring containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said ring being optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from halo, hydroxyl, C 1-4 alkyl, —C(O)—C 1-4 alkyl and —S(O)nC 1-4 alkyl;

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl,

(2) HET 3 ,

(3) —C 1-6 alkyl, and

(4) —C 1-6 cycloalkyl,

wherein choice (1), (2), (3), and (4) is optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —CN,

(c) —OH,

(d) -hydroxy C 1-4 alkyl,

(e) —C 1-4 alkyl,

(f) —C 1-4 -haloalkyl, and

(g) —OC 1-4 alkyl, optionally substituted with halo or hydroxyl; and

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) aryl, and

(2) HET 5 ,

wherein choice (1) and (2) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) halo,

(b) —C 3-6 cycloalkyl,

(c) —C 1-4 alkyl,

(d) —OC 1-4 alkyl,

(e) mono, di or tri-halo C 1-4 alkyl, and

(f) mono, di or tri-halo —OC 1-4 alkyl.

11. A compound of claim 10 wherein

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyridinyl,

(3) pyrimidinyl,

(4) pyrazinyl, and

(5) pyridazinyl,

optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents R 4 and R 5 , which are independently selected from the group consisting of

(a) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy,

(b) —S(O) n C 1-4 alkyl,

(c) —C(O)—NR 10 R 11 ,

(d) HET 4 , and

(e) halo,

wherein choice (d) is optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents selected from:

(1) halo,

(2) —CN,

(3) —OH,

(4) —C 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy, halo or cyano,

(5) —CF 3 ,

(6) —OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxyl or halo,

(7) —C(O)OH, and

(8) —C(O)O—C 1-3 alkyl, and

(9) —C(O)—NR 19 R 20 ,

wherein R 10 , R 11 , R 19 and R 20 are each independently selected from H and C 1-4 alkyl, or R 10 and R 11 or R 19 and R 20 are joined together so that together with the atoms to which they are attached there is formed a 5 membered heterocyclic ring of 4 to 7 atoms, said ring containing 1, 2, 3 or 4 heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, said ring being optionally mono or di-substituted with substituents independently selected from halo, hydroxyl, C 1-4 -alkyl, —C(O)—C 1-4 alkyl and —S(O)nC 1-4 alkyl;

R 2 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyridinyl,

(3) pyridazinyl,

(4) pyrimidinyl,

(5) pyrizinyl,

(5) thiazolyl,

(6) oxazolyl, and

(7) pyrazolyl,

wherein choice (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with halo, OC 1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with halogen, —C 1-4 -haloalkyl, hydroxyl and CN; and

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of:

(1) phenyl,

(2) pyrimidinyl,

(3) pyridinyl,

wherein choices (1), (2) and (3) are each optionally mono or di-substituted with halo, haloC 1-4 -alkyl, or —OC 1-4 -alkyl optionally substituted with halo.

12. A compound according to claim 1 selected from the group consisting of:

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzonitrile,

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzonitrile,

4-{4-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl}benzonitrile,

5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1,2-dimethyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazole,

5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-2-ethyl-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazole,

5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-2-isopropyl-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazole,

5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-2-cyclopentyl-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazole,

5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-2-cyclohexyl-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazole,

5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-2-(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl)-1H-imidazole,

4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzonitrile,

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-2-iodo-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzonitrile,

4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-ethyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzonitrile,

5-Chloro-2-({1-methyl-4-[4-(1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)phenyl]-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-5-yl}thio)pyridine,

2-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-4-[4-(5-methyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}pyridine,

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}-N′-formylbenzohydrazide,

2-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-4-[4-(1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}pyridine,

5-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-amine,

5-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-one,

5-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2(3H)-thione,

1-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)ethanone,

1-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)ethanol,

1-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2,2-difluoroethanone,

1-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2,2-difluoroethanol,

1-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanone,

1-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethanol,

Methyl 2-(4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2-methylpropanoate,

2-[5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-4-(4-iodophenyl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl]pyridine,

2-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-4-[4-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}pyridine,

2-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-4-[4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl}pyridine,

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzamide,

3-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

2-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)propan-2-ol,

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzoic acid,

5-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole,

2-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2-methylpropanenitrile,

2-(4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-2-methylpropanamide,

5-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}pyridine-2-carbonitrile,

6-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}nicotinonitrile,

4-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}aniline, and

2-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-4-[4-(2-methyl-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}pyridine,

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

13. A compound according to claim 1 selected from the group consisting of:

Ex-

am-

ple

Compound structure

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

14. A compound according to claim 1 , selected from

5-Chloro-2-({1-methyl-4-[6-(methylsulfonyl)pyridin-3-yl]-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-5-yl}thio)pyridine,

2-(5-{5-[(4-Chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ol,

5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-4-[4-(2-furyl)phenyl]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-3-ium trifluoroacetate,

2-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-4-[4-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}pyridine,

ethyl 4-{5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)thio]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzoate,

2-(4-{5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)thio]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenoxy)-2-methylpropanamide,

5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)thio]-4-[4-(2-hydroxy-1,1-dimethylethoxy)phenyl]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium trifluoroacetate,

3-(4-{5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)thio]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenoxy)-1,1,1-trifluoro-3-methylbutan-2-ol,

4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}-N-(2-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)benzamide,

3-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-2-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-5,6,6a,7,8,9,10,10a-octahydroimidazo[1,2-h]-1,7-naphthyridine,

2-(4-{3-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]imidazo[1,2-h][1,7]naphthyridin-2-yl}phenyl)propan-2-ol,

6-{5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)sulfanyl]-2-cyclopropyl-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}-2-difluoromethyl)quinoline,

6-{5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)thio]-2-cyclopropyl-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}-N,N-dimethylquinoline-2-carboxamide,

5-[(4-chlorophenyl)thio]-2-iodo-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazole,

4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-1-methyl-4-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}-1-methyl-1H-pyrazole,

3-4-({5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-2-(1-ethyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

3-(4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-2-(1-ethyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

3-(4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-1-methyl-2-[1-(propan-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

3-(4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-1-methyl-2-(1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

3-(4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-2-(1-cyclopropyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-2-[1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}benzonitrile,

2-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-1-methyl-4-[4-(1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)phenyl]-1H-imidazol-2-yl}propan-2-ol,

3-(4-{5-[(4-chlorophenyl)sulfanyl]-2-(2-ethoxypropan-2-yl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole,

2-(5-{5-[(5-chloropyridin-2-yl)sulfanyl]-2-(5-cyclopropylisoxazol-3-yl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl}pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ol, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

15. A compound according to claim 1 , selected from

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

16. A pharmaceutical composition which comprises an inert carrier and a compound of claim 1 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

17. A method for treating a subject having a disease or disorder, wherein the disease or disorder is selected from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, skeletomuscular pain, and fibromyalgia, acute pain, migraine, and sleep disorder, wherein the subject is administered a compound of claim 1 in an amount effective to treat the subject, so as to thereby treat the subject.