NOVEL TETRAHYDRONAPHTHOFURANONE DERIVATIVES AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME

Compounds represented by the following formula (I) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are disclosed. The compounds have progesterone receptor binding inhibitory activity and, hence, can be used as therapeutic and prophylactic agents for progesterone-related diseases. Specifically, they are useful as abortifacients, oral contraceptive pills, carcinostatic agents for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, therapeutic agents for endometriosis, meningioma, and myeloma, and therapeutic and prophylactic agents for osteoporosis and climacteric disturbance. wherein R and R represent a hydroxyl group, alkyloxy, alkenyloxy, alkynyloxy, cycloalkyloxy, alkoxyalkyloxy, cycloalkyloxy containig one oxygen atom, aralkyloxy, alkylcarbonyloxy, alkenylcarbonyloxy, alkynylcarbonyloxy, cycloalkylcarbonyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy, aryloxy carbonyloxy, aralkylcarbonyloxy, aromatic acyloxy, heteroaromatic acyloxy, saturated heterocyclic carbonyloxy, alkylsulfonyloxy, aromatic sulfonyloxy, alkylcarbamoyloxy, aromatic carbamoyloxy, alkylcarbonylamino, or aromatic acylamino, provided that R may further represent a hydrogen atom, alkyl, alkenyl, or alkynyl; and R, R, and R each independently represent a hydrogen atom, alkyl or alkenyl.