Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules. Its stereochemistry makes it valuable in asymmetric synthesis, where it serves as a scaffold to control spatial orientation during drug molecule construction. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for optimizing enantioselectivity and improving metabolic stability in drug candidates. Also utilized in the preparation of enzyme inhibitors due to its ability to mimic transition states in peptide bond hydrolysis.