From dihydroxypyrimidine carboxylic acids to carboxamide HIV-1 integrase inhibitors: SAR around the amide moiety

4,5-Dihyroxypyrimidine carboxamides, which evolved from a related series of HCV NS5b polymerase inhibitors, have been optimized to provide selective HIV integrase strand transfer inhibitors. Extensive SAR around the benzylamide moiety led to the identification of the p-fluorobenzylamide as optimal in the enzymatic assay.