A series of 9-(2′-β-C-methyl-β-d-ribofuranosyl)-6-substituted purine derivatives were synthesized as potential inhibitors of HCV RNA replication. Their inhibitory activities in a cell based HCV replicon assay were reported. A prodrug approach was used to further improve the potency of these compounds by increasing the intracellular levels of 5′- monophosphate metabolites. These nucleotide prodrugs showed much improved ...
