New water-soluble sulfonylphosphoramidic acid derivatives of the COX-2 selective inhibitor cimicoxib. A novel approach to sulfonamide prodrugs.

The synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of new water-soluble phosphoramidate derivatives of the COX-2 selective inhibitor cimicoxib (4) are described. The sulfonylphosphoramidic acid derivative 10 was converted to 4 in human plasma and showed excellent in vivo activity in the rat carrageenan-edema test. Pharmacokinetic evaluation in dogs indicated that 10 behaved as a prodrug, immediately converting to 4 and giving an identical profile to that of the parent compound.