The present invention relates to compounds of Formula (I) or (II), or apharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester, or prodrug, thereof: formula (I),formula (II): which inhibit serine protease activity, particularly theactivity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3-NS4A protease. Consequently, thecompounds of the present invention interfere with the life cycle of thehepatitis C virus and are also useful as antiviral agents. The presentinvention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising theaforementioned compounds for administration to a subject suffering from HCVinfection. The invention also relates to methods of treating an HCV infectionin a subject by administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising thecompounds of the present invention.
