Patent 7276516 was granted and assigned to Eli Lilly and Company on October, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Novel compounds of structural formula (I) are disclosed. As modulators of the Cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor, these compounds are useful in the treatment, prevention and suppression of diseases mediated by the CB1 receptor. As such, compounds of the present invention are useful as in the treatment, prevention and suppression of psychosis, memory deficits, cognitive disorders, migraine, neuropathy, neuro-inflammatory disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome and the inflammatory sequelae of viral encephalitis), cerebral vascular accidents, head trauma, anxiety disorders, stress, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia. The compounds are also useful for the treatment of substance abuse disorders, particularly to opiates, alcohol, and nicotine. The compounds are also useful for the treatment of obesity or eating disorders associated with excessive food intake and complications associated therewith