Cysteine protease inhibitors

This invention relates to derivatives of alpha-amino acid amides, to pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds, and to their use in medicine as inhibitors of cysteine proteases, particularly the cathepsins. This invention relates to derivatives of alpha-amino acid amides, to pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds, and to their use in medicine as inhibitors of cysteine proteases, particularly the cathepsins. A compound of formula (I) is described or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate or solvate thereof. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention include the sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, hydrogen chloride, tartaric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid and p-toluenesulfonic acid salts.