Described herein are compounds and pharmaceutical compositions which inhibit N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA). Described herein are methods for synthesizing the compounds set forth herein and methods for formulating these compounds as pharmaceutical compositions which include these compounds. Also described herein are methods of inhibiting NAAA in order to sustain the levels of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and other N-acylethanolamines (NAE) that are substrates for NAAA, in conditions characterized by reduced concentrations of NAE. Also, described here are methods of treating and ameliorating pain, inflammation, inflammatory diseases, and other disorders in which modulation of fatty acid ethanolamides is clinically or therapeutically relevant or in which decreased levels of NAE are associated with the disorder.