Substituted phenylacetamide and empleo0 as glucokinase activators.

A compound of formula I wherein R1 and R2 are independently hydrogen, halo, amino, hydroxyamino, cyano, nitro, lower alkyl, -OR5, perfluoro-lower alkyl, lower alkyl thio, perfluoro-lower alkyl thio, lower alkyl sulfonyl, perfluoro lower alkyl sulfonyl, lower alkyl sulfinyl I, or sulfonamido; R3 is an alkyl chain unbranched 4-5 carbon atoms or unbranched heteroalkyl chain of 3-4 carbon atoms plus one oxygen atom or sulfur atom, wherein the chain, in combination with the carbon atom to which it is attached, forms a ring of five or six members, and when the chain contains no heteroatoms, one member of the chain carbon is substituted with a seleccionadoa fraction of the group consisting of hydroxy, oxo, hydroxyimino, methoxyimino, halo, methoxy, and acetoxy, or a member carbon chain is disubstituted with one hydroxy and one lower alkyl or is disubstituted with halogen when the chain contains an heteroatomoO, the chain is unsubstituted, and when the chain contains an S heteroatom, the chain is not unsubstituted or the S heteroatom member of the chain is substituted by an oxo group; R4 is a heteroaromatic ring or six-membered unsubstituted or mono-substituted attached by a carbon atom ring the amine group shown, which heteroaromatic five- or six members containing 1 to 3 heteroatoms selected from sulfur, oxygen or nitrogen , with one heteroatom being nitrogen which is adjacent to said connecting carbon atom of the ring; said mono-substituted being mono-substituted at a position on a carbon atom of the ring adjacent to said connecting carbon atom with a substituent selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, halo, nitro, cyano, perfluoro-lower alkyl, amidooxime , n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; R5 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, or perfluoro-lower alkyl; R6 is lower alkyl; and R7 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; * Denotes a carbon atom that is asymmetric in all or most of the compounds of formula I; and wherein "lower" means 1 to 7 carbon atoms; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.