Discovery of 4'-azido-2'-deoxy-2'-C-methyl cytidine and prodrugs thereof: a potent inhibitor of Hepatitis C virus replication.

4'-Azido-2'-deoxy-2'-methylcytidine (14) is a potent nucleoside inhibitor of the HCV NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, displaying an EC(50) value of 1.2 µM and showing moderate in vivo bioavailability in rat (F=14%). Here we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of 4'-azido-2'-deoxy-2'-methylcytidine and prodrug derivatives thereof.