Quinoline derivatives and their use as aurora 2 kinase inhibitors

Abstract

A compound of formula (I)or a salt, ester, amide or prodrug thereof; Ris an optionally substituted 6-membered aromatic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom, and R, R, R, Rare independently selected from halogeno, cyano, nitro, Calkylsulphonyl, —N(OH)R— (wherein Ris hydrogen, or Calkyl), or RX— (wherein Xrepresents a direct bond, —O—, —CH—, —OC(O)—, —C(O)—, —S—, —SO—, —SO—, —NRC(O)—, —C(O)NR—, —SONR—, —NRSO— or —NR— (wherein R, R, R, Rand Reach independently represents hydrogen, Calkyl or CalkoxyCalkyl), and Ris hydrogen, optionally substituted hydrocarbyl, optionally substituted heterocyclyl or optionally substituted alkoxy); provided that at least one of Ror Ris other than hydrogen. These compounds are inhibitors of aurora 2 kinase. Thus they, and pharmaceutical compositions containing them, are useful in methods of treatment of proliferative disease such as cancer and in particular cancers such as colorectal or breast cancer where aurora 2 is upregulated.