Used as a key chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in antiviral and antitumor agents. Its rigid, oxygen-rich structure makes it valuable for designing protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules. Commonly employed in the development of nucleoside analogs, where it serves as a scaffold to mimic sugar moieties, enhancing metabolic stability and target selectivity. Also utilized in asymmetric synthesis due to its well-defined stereochemistry.