Benzimidazole derivatives useful as respiratory syncytial virus replication inhibitors

A benzimidazole or imidazopyridine derivative or a prodrug, N-oxide, addition salt, quaternary amine, metal complex or stereochemically isomeric form thereof has the formula (I) wherein: -al=a2-a3=a4- is -CH=CH-CH=CH- (a-1); -N=CH-CH=CH- (a-2); -CH=N-CH=CH- (a-3); -CH=CH-N=CH- (a-4); or -CH=CH-CH=N- (a-5) and each hydrogen atom in the radicals (a-1), (a-2), (a-3), (a-4) and (a-5) may optionally be replaced by halo, alkyl, nitro, amino, hydroxy, alkyloxy, polyhaloalkyl, carboxyl, aminoalkyl, mono-or dialkyl-aminoalkyl, alkyloxycarbonyl, hydroxyalkyl, or -C(=Z)-aryl; Z is =O, =CH-C(=O)-NR5aR5b, =CH2, =CH-alkyl, =N-OH or =N-O-alkyl; Q is a radical of formula (b-1) to (b-8); Alk is alkanediyl and Y1 is -NR2- or -CH(NR2R4)-; X1 is NR4, S(O)n', O, CH2, C(=O), C(=CH2), CH(OH), CH(CH3), CH(OCH3), CH(SCH3), CH(NR5aR5b), CH2-NR4 or NR4-CH2; X2 is a direct bond, CH2, C(=O), NR4, alkyl-NR4, or NR4-alkyl; t is 2 to 5; u is 1 to 5 v is 2 or 3; and n' is 0 to 2; each hydrogen atom in Alk and the carbocycles and the heterocycles defined in radicals (b-3), (b-4), (b-5), (b-6), (b-7) and (b-8) may optionally be replaced by R3 with the proviso that when R3 is hydroxy or alkyloxy, then R3 can not replace a hydrogen atom in the a position relative to a nitrogen atom; G is substituted alkanediyl; R1 is optionally substituted phenyl, piperidinyl, piperazinyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrimidinyl, furanyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, thienyl, pyrrolyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, imidazolyl, isothiazolyl, pyrazolyl, isoxazolyl, or oxadiazolyl; R2 is hydrogen, formyl, alkylcarbonyl, Hetcarbonyl, pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl, homopiperidinyl, cycloalkyl substituted with N(R6)2, or alkyl substituted with N(R6)2 and can be further substituted; R3 is hydrogen, hydroxy, alkyl, alkyloxy, arylalkyl or arylalkyloxy and R4 is hydrogen, alkyl or arylalkyl; R5a and R5b are as defined in the specification and Het is pyridyl, pyrimidinyl or pyridazinyl. An intermediate of formula IV, IX or XXII is described wherein: P is a protecting group; Q1 is as defined for Q above and -al=a2-a3=a4-, G and R1 are as defined above; (O-)Q3 is a carbonyl derivative of Q and (O=)-G2 is a carbonyl derivative of G. The compounds are useful as respiratory syncytial virus replication inhibitors.