Used in research as an intermediate in the synthesis of azithromycin derivatives, particularly for studying structure-activity relationships in macrolide antibiotics. It serves as a reference standard in analytical testing to identify degradation products or metabolic byproducts of azithromycin in pharmaceutical formulations and biological samples. Also utilized in microbiology to evaluate antimicrobial activity against bacterial strains resistant to common macrolides, aiding in the development of new antibacterial agents.